Learn How to Fully Understand Your Pathology Report
When your doctor suspects a lump on your breast may be cancerous, (s)he will send you for a breast biopsy. Biopsies vary by level of invasion, but all seek to remove a sufficient cell tissue sample to observe and test. Following a biopsy your pathologist will issue a report similar to this Pathology Report. As you can see, the report aims to uncover evidence of cancerous cells, the type of cancer, the size of the cancer, how aggressive the cancer is, whether there is marginal cancer, and whether cancer has spread to the lymph nodes. The following chart will show you how to decipher the sample pathology report.
| Category | Value on Sample Report | Meaning |
| In-situ/Intraductal tumor type | Invasive ductal carcinoma | Cancer began in breast ducts and has spread |
| Grade | II/III | Measure of the speed at which the tumor is growing. 1 is the slowest and 3 is the fastest. |
| Size | .8 CM | The size of the tumor based on the slide. |
| Margins | Not mentioned | Were cancerous cells present on the edge of the removed breast tissue? |
| Vascular or Lymphatic Invasion | Invasion of Lymphatic Vessels | Have cancerous cells entered the lymph or blood vessels? |
| Total lymph nodes | Not mentioned | Total number of nodes included in biopsy sample |
| Number positive | Not mentioned | Number of nodes found to contain cancerous cells |
| Extranodal invasion | Not mentioned | Reports if the cancer has grown through the boundary of the node |
| Dermal lymphatic invasion | Not mentioned | Has the invasion spread to the skin? |
| Nipple involvement | Not mentioned | Were cancerous cells found in the nipple? |
| ER/PR | >95%, 3+ /45%, 2-3+ | Explains if the cancer cell has a receptor for estrogen and progesterone. A positive amount may mean treatment with antihormonal drugs is an option. |
| PS3 | Not over-expressed, <5% | Measure of a protein that helps limit tumor growth. |
| CERB-2 (HER-2/neu) | 1+, not over-expressed | Measure of a protein that gives cell instructions to make too many copies of itself. |
Contact a Lawyer to Learn More Information
For more information regarding a breast cancer pathology report, contact our nationwide firm of Aaron M. Levine & Associates. Schedule a free, no-risk consultation with our Washington attorneys by calling us toll free at 888-564-9305.
