Understanding Your Pathology Report

The surgical pathology report is a formal scientific description of the appearance of a breast biopsy under the microscope. It is written using some terms that may be unfamiliar to many people although these terms will have specific meaning to the surgeon who performed the biopsy. The pathology report will also contain information that will aid your other health care givers (radiation oncologist, medical oncologist, etc) in making clinical decisions that are appropriate for your particular situation.

It is safe to say that ten women with breast cancer will have ten different diseases. And if you are diagnosed with breast cancer, your experience will likely be different from that of the "famous person in the news", your close friend, or even a family member.

The behavior of a breast cancer is unique to each individual, although certain tumor characteristics may be common to many patients. Tumors can be classified to predict outcome and determine best treatment options. Treatment for breast cancer is individualized to each woman based on her particular tumor characteristics and her state of health. The pathology results to the left are some of the more standard breast cancer diagnoses. The information is presented to help clarify some of the terms used in describing breast tumors and options available to those with a new diagnosis of breast cancer.