Department of Pathology
Department of Pathology

As the earliest Western-style hospital in China, the hospital's Pathology Department was established concurrently with the hospital. In 1850, it performed the first autopsy on the Chinese mainland. An independent clinical pathology laboratory was established in 1914. Mirroring the fluctuations of modern Chinese history, the department experienced repeated transformations until the pathology laboratory was rebuilt in 1961, taking on the responsibility of preparing and diagnosing pathological specimens for the hospital. Professor Liang Boqiang, one of the pioneers and founders of pathology in China, once worked here.
As the pathology department of a comprehensive affiliated hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, a nationally recognized high-level university, the department has developed over the long term into a high-level clinical pathology discipline with a complete academic system. It plays a crucial supporting role in the hospital's construction as a national high-level medical institution.

Featured Medical Technology

It has extensive influence in various areas, including subspecialty pathology, diagnosis of complex diseases, molecular pathology diagnosis, and intraoperative frozen section diagnosis. Vigorously advancing the pathological diagnosis of frozen sections for breast diseases, particularly breast cancer, has positioned the department at the forefront of breast disease frozen section pathology diagnosis in China, while significantly contributing to the development of breast surgery within our hospital. The department also conducts in-depth research and has achieved nationally advanced levels in intraoperative frozen section rapid pathological diagnosis for surgeries beyond breast diseases, thyroid microcarcinoma, bone tumors and tumor-like lesions, ovarian tumors, among others.

Scientific Research Results

Academically, the department undertakes various national and provincial-level major and key projects, such as the National Key R&D Program, the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars, and the National Natural Science Foundation of China, and holds significant influence in the field of tumor pathology in China.
In addition, the department has contributed to the compilation of multiple monographs, including Surgical Pathology, Bone and Joint Pathology, Clinical Kidney Transplantation, Pathology, Spinal Cord Injury, and Diagnostics of Digestive Diseases.
As the hospital enter a new phase of development, the pathology discipline has also embarked on an era of extraordinary progress. Building on the foundation of routine clinical pathology, we will strengthen the development of various subspecialties (such as breast pathology, female reproductive system pathology, urinary and male reproductive system pathology, gastrointestinal pathology, dermatopathology, cytopathology, and molecular pathology). We will enhance the construction of the molecular pathology diagnostic platform, with a focus on the diagnosis of complex diseases and precision diagnostics, to improve our capability in diagnosing challenging clinical conditions and elevate our precision diagnostic expertise. Our goal is to establish a pathology support platform centered on personalized diagnosis and treatment as well as basic research, striving to become a leading national center for comprehensive diagnosis of complex pathological conditions and a top-tier, comprehensive medical, educational, and research base for precision pathology in China.