The Department of Pathology provides integrated, high-resolution characterization of human disease across morphologic, cellular, and molecular dimensions, serving as a central driver of clinical decision-making in modern medicine. Beyond establishing definitive diagnoses, the department plays a critical role in guiding therapeutic strategies, predicting clinical outcomes, and enabling precision medicine through comprehensive tissue- and cell-based analyses.
At Seoul National University Hospital, the Department of Pathology comprises 18 faculty members and over 100 specialized personnel, delivering a high-volume diagnostic service with a strong emphasis on accuracy, timeliness, and clinical impact. The department is also committed to training the next generation of pathologists and physician-scientists through structured educational programs, while advancing translational research in tumor biology, immune microenvironment, and biomarker discovery.
By integrating histopathology, immunophenotyping, molecular diagnostics, and digital pathology platforms, the department functions as a multidisciplinary hub that connects diagnostic interpretation with real-time therapeutic decision-making. Close collaboration among pathologists, clinicians, and bioinformaticians ensures that each diagnostic output is meaningfully contextualized and translated into patient-specific management strategies.
Surgical Pathology
Surgical pathology constitutes the cornerstone of diagnostic pathology, involving the comprehensive evaluation of tissue specimens obtained through biopsy or surgical resection. Diagnostic interpretation is achieved through the integration of morphologic assessment with immunohistochemical and molecular findings, enabling precise disease classification and risk stratification.
These diagnostic results directly influence clinical management, including determination of surgical margins, selection of therapeutic modalities, and overall treatment planning. Intraoperative consultation using frozen section analysis provides rapid diagnostic input that informs real-time surgical decision-making, underscoring the department’s active role in patient care.
Cytopathology
Cytopathology provides minimally invasive diagnostic approaches through the evaluation of exfoliative specimens and fine-needle aspiration (FNA) samples from a wide range of organ systems, including the cervix, respiratory tract, urinary tract, serous cavities, thyroid, breast, lymph nodes, and pancreas.
These techniques offer rapid, cost-effective, and clinically actionable information, often serving as the initial diagnostic step in patient evaluation. Advances such as liquid-based cytology and integration with molecular diagnostic assays have significantly improved diagnostic accuracy and specimen preservation. Cytology specimens are increasingly utilized for ancillary studies, including immunocytochemistry and genomic profiling, thereby expanding their role within precision diagnostics.
Molecular Pathology
Molecular pathology focuses on the targeted analysis of DNA and RNA alterations in tissue and cytology specimens to elucidate the molecular basis of disease. A broad range of techniques—including polymerase chain reaction (PCR), methylation-specific PCR, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), sequencing, and microsatellite instability (MSI) testing—are employed to detect clinically relevant genetic and epigenetic changes.
These assays enable precise diagnosis and differential diagnosis, support biomarker evaluation, and provide critical insights into tumor biology. Molecular pathology also contributes to prognostic stratification and assessment of therapeutic response, serving as a core component of contemporary precision diagnostics.
Genomic Pathology
Genomic pathology leverages next-generation sequencing (NGS)–based platforms to comprehensively profile genomic alterations across multiple genes, enabling a systems-level understanding of tumor biology. At Seoul National University Hospital, the Department of Pathology operates institutionally developed genomic platforms, including the FIRST-PanCancer panel (for colorectal, breast, gastric, gynecologic, pancreatic, and various rare cancers), FIRST-Lung Cancer panel, FIRST-Brain Tumor panel, and FIRST-Lymphoma panel.
These disease-specific panels facilitate the identification of actionable genetic alterations and provide essential information for diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutic selection. Genomic findings are systematically reviewed within a multidisciplinary framework through the Molecular Tumor Board, involving pathologists, clinicians, bioinformaticians, and coordinators. This collaborative approach ensures that genomic data are effectively translated into individualized treatment strategies.
As a central pillar of precision medicine, genomic pathology extends beyond mutation detection to encompass integrative interpretation, therapeutic targeting, and prediction of treatment response, thereby reshaping the paradigm of disease diagnosis and management.
Specialized Diagnostic Modalities
Immunohistochemistry
Immunohistochemistry (IHC) is a diagnostic technique that identifies and visualizes the expression and distribution of specific antigens within tissue sections through antigen–antibody reactions. By enabling the interpretation of protein expression patterns in the context of tissue architecture, IHC serves as a critical adjunct to morphologic diagnosis and provides essential molecular-level insights into disease processes.
With its high sensitivity and specificity, IHC plays a pivotal role in the differential diagnosis of a wide range of diseases. In oncologic pathology, it is indispensable for determining tumor lineage, subclassification, and biological behavior. Furthermore, the precise assessment of tumor-associated antigen expression facilitates the identification of therapeutic targets, prognostic stratification, and prediction of treatment response, thereby forming a key foundation for personalized treatment strategies.
Electron Microscopy
Electron microscopy (EM) is a diagnostic modality that utilizes electron beams to achieve ultra-high magnification, allowing detailed visualization of cellular and subcellular structures. It enables the identification of ultrastructural features that are not discernible by light microscopy and provides critical diagnostic information in selected clinical contexts.
EM plays an important role in the evaluation of renal diseases, neuromuscular disorders, and certain neoplasms, where ultrastructural alterations are diagnostically informative. Although its application has become more selective with advances in molecular diagnostics, it remains an indispensable tool in specific disease settings, contributing to precise diagnosis and deeper understanding of disease pathophysiology.
Autopsy
Autopsy is a comprehensive medical examination performed after death, involving systematic dissection and microscopic evaluation to determine the cause of disease and the sequence of pathologic events. Hospital autopsies are conducted with the consent of the bereaved family and represent the most definitive method for correlating clinical findings with pathologic reality.
Through autopsy, it is possible to establish the cause of death, assess disease progression, and evaluate the effects and complications of therapeutic interventions. These findings provide critical feedback for clinical practice, contributing to quality assurance, diagnostic accuracy, and patient safety. In addition, accumulated autopsy data have historically played a fundamental role in advancing medical knowledge, supporting the development of new disease concepts and refining existing diagnostic and therapeutic paradigms.