Breast Cancer Care

What is a pathology report?

A pathology report shows the results of any tests done on tissue removed from the body.

Pathology is the study of a disease and how it specifically affects or changes the body’s cells and tissues. Whenever you have tissue removed – for example, if you have a biopsy, breast-conserving surgery or a mastectomy – a report is written by a pathologist. The information and results will help your specialist team decide which treatments will work best for you.

It’s worth noting that the amount of detail in each report will differ; you may be given more than one report and some test results will take longer to analyse than others. You may need to wait for all your pathology reports before a full treatment plan is decided.

Getting your results

Waiting for your results can be very hard. How long you have to wait depends on a range of different factors and can be anything from the same day to a few weeks. Your doctor or breast care nurse should be able to tell you when your results will be ready.

When you’re first given your results you may find it hard to take it all in. If you’re told anything that you don’t understand, ask your doctor or breast care nurse to explain. You may also want to ask for a copy of your report to read later in your own time.

Your report

In most cases, your pathology report will start with general information such as your name and date of birth, as well as your doctor’s name and the date of your surgery.

This is usually followed by a description of the breast tissue before it’s looked at under a microscope. This section of the report is called the gross or macroscopic description and includes information about:

• size, weight and appearance of the tissue
• where it was in the breast before removal
• how it was prepared for the microscope

Next follows the microscopic description, which points out all the features of the cancer seen under a microscope. Finally, there is a summary of the main points, sometimes in a list at the end of the report.

Remember that all the information in the pathology report is considered together when deciding about which treatments to offer you and their likely benefits. One piece of information should not be taken in isolation.

Questions to ask

To find out more about your pathology report, take a look at our list of suggested questions to ask your doctor and what they mean for your diagnosis.

You may also wish to download or order our accompanying booklets.