A Pathology Primer

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.

 

**This website should be used as an educational tool only. If you suspect you have symptoms of breast cancer, please contact a licensed physician for diagnosis and treatment.**