Histology is the study of the microscopic structure of tissue. In a clinical setting, histology techniques are used to analyze disease states at a cellular level by means of light and/or electron microscopy, histochemistry, and immunohistochemistry. When a physician removes any part of the anatomy ranging from a skin lesion to an organ, a pathologist will review that specimen to determine a diagnosis.

Reminder: Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States. The "Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer, 1975-2002," published in the Oct. 5, 2005 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute*, shows obseved cancer death rates from all cancers combined dropped 1.1 percent per year from 1993 to 2002. According to the report's authors, declines in death rates reflect progress in prevention, early detection, and treatment; however, not all segments of the U.S. population benefited equally from advances. For more information on this report, visit the following Web site: jncicancerspectrum.oupjournals.org