A biopsy is a piece of tissue that has been obtained from the patient and is sent to the laboratory for study by the pathologist. The tissue is usually sent because the doctors caring for the patient suspect that there might be some sort of abnormality in the tissue. Some common abnormalities include inflammation (often named "-itis" as in the term gastritis - inflammation of the stomach), cancer, and conditions which can develop into cancer. Some of the most frequently studied tissue samples include prostate, breast, skin, and colon but just about any type of tissue can be examined. The tissue sample is processed and the end result appears on glass slides which the pathologist can then study under a microscope. The pathologist then renders a diagnosis (a name for the process that he or she sees under the microscope) so that the physician caring directly for the patient will know what disease the patient has and can determine how to best treat the patient. Another way to do a biopsy is to use a thin needle, this is called fine needle aspiration biopsy and can be performed by a pathologist.