how much tissue is actually examined in post op pathology

North, are you asking about samples from a biopsy or from a surgical pathology (prostatectomy)? If the latter, the pathologist takes the entire specimen (everything removed) and slices and dices it into sections. My husband's surgical path report was quite detailed about the sections looked at, and even indicated which cassette the section could be found on.

If biopsy, the pathologist reviews every sample submitted - the average seems to be between 10 and 12 cores taken during biopsy.

Great question and I don't know on this, but this "honest" answer from a local surgeon whom came to an open PCa support meeting as a speaker, and was open to our questions. Naturally, I had been waiting to ask someone like him about the sampling of prostate during prostate removal, as is supposed to occur and be checked immediately to determine if PCa has escaped beyond the capsule...and thus usually the patient is informed and sewed back up...as surgery would be done without cure (surgery still could be done to debulk tumor burden-however with patient agreeing). His answer floored me in that he said he did not sample all patients and patients with gleason 6 or 7 he didn't believe it was necessary to always sample??????? So some patients were never informed, I don't know if they didn't know to ask about such or if thereafter the doc sugar coats rehtoric back saying in your case, 'all good' or such.  I don't know alot about surgery I could not go that route after investigation enough on my own case, do know more on radiations, hormone therapies.