Histopathology vs. Cytopathology — What's the Difference?

Histopathology (compound of three Greek words: ἱστός histos "tissue", πάθος pathos "suffering", and -λογία -logia "study of") refers to the microscopic examination of tissue in order to study the manifestations of disease. Specifically, in clinical medicine, histopathology refers to the examination of a biopsy or surgical specimen by a pathologist, after the specimen has been processed and histological sections have been placed onto glass slides.

Cytopathology (from Greek κύτος, kytos, "a hollow"; πάθος, pathos, "fate, harm"; and -λογία, -logia) is a branch of pathology that studies and diagnoses diseases on the cellular level. The discipline was founded by George Nicolas Papanicolaou in 1928.

The study of changes in tissues caused by disease.

The branch of pathology that deals with abnormalities of cells.

The study of the microscopic anatomical changes in diseased tissue.

(biology) The microscopic study of tissue, especially of abnormal tissue as a result of disease.