• Question: what do tyou do if the patients cells have somthing wrong with them

    Asked by jrg1999 to Sam, Samantha on 4 Jul 2012.
    • Photo: Sam Chilka

      Sam Chilka answered on 4 Jul 2012:


      Hi there
      I look at cell and tissue samples taken from patients when they have something wrong with them – I look at the cells with a microscope. I can usually tell from the way the cells look if there is anything wrong – such as cancer, and what kind of cancer it might be (different kinds of cancer may need to be treated in different ways).
      As well as being able to tell what is wrong, I look for other things. For example, the way the abnormal cells look can tell how “bad” the cancer is (some cancers are worse than others). I will also try to say how far the cancer has spread, and if it has been completely removed or not.
      I put all this information in a report, and pass this on to the doctors and nurses treating the patient. They will then use this to help plan the right treatment for each patient. So I am one part of a big team working to help patients overcome their illnesses.

    • Photo: Samantha Weaver

      Samantha Weaver answered on 4 Jul 2012:


      I don’t actually look at patients’ cells I’m afraid – I leave that to people like Sam 🙂
      However, if I find that there is something wrong with levels of something in their blood, urine, Csf etc then I phone their doctor to tell them so that they can start treating them.

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