Accession/Accessioning – the process used for entering samples into a tracking system
Cassette – a container used to hold tissues during processing
Cover slip – a rigid, transparent material placed atop stained tissue to keep them flat
Cover slipper – an automated device used to affix a cover slip to microscopic slides
Decalcification – a process that uses acid to remove calcium from histologic samples so that they can be cut on a microtome
Fixative – a chemical that preserves tissue in its current state
Formalin – a formaldehyde solution that is dissolved to a 10% concentration and (usually) buffered to a neutral pH that is used to fix tissue
Frozen Section – an expedited processing method where surgical tissue is frozen in OCT and rapidly stained for microscopic examination while a patient is undergoing surgery – sometimes called an intraoperative consultation
Gross/Grossing – the initial examination, description, and dissection of a pathology specimen
Microtome – the device used by histotechnologists to cut thin (1 – 14µ thick) sections from paraffin embedded tissue blocks
Paraffin block – wax blocks containing fixed tissue that can be cut on a microtome for mounting on microscopic slides
Paraformaldehyde – a 4% formaldehyde solution used to fix tissue
Stain/Staining – adding pigments, dyes, or antibody markers to tissue to aid in microscopic exam
Tissue processor – an automated device that prepares tissues for histologic examination
Staging – a standardized process to assess severity of cancer based on Tumor, lymph Nodes, & Metastasis (TNM)
Tissue stainer – an automated device used to add pigments, dyes, or antibodies to tissue on glass slides