The most common grading system is the Nottingham system: In general, the more the cancer cells look like normal breast cells, the lower the grade and the better the prognosis (chances for survival) tends to be. ![]() It’s reported using either a number system or words. Tumor grade describes the structure of the cells and is different from tumor stage. Tumor gradeįor invasive breast cancers, the pathologist notes the shape of the cancer cells and how many of the cancer cells are in the process of dividing to determine the histologic grade. Invasive breast cancer has spread from the original site (the milk ducts or lobules) into the nearby breast tissue, and possibly to nearby lymph nodes and/or other parts of the body. It’s called “in situ” (which means “in place”) because the cancer cells have not spread to nearby breast tissue. With DCIS, the cancer cells are contained within the milk ducts. invasiveĭuctal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is a non-invasive breast cancer. Learn about tumor size and breast cancer staging. In general, the smaller the tumor, the better the prognosis (chance of survival) tends to be. The measurement of entire sample is reported in the gross description. The tumor size may be much smaller than the size of the tissue sample. The longest length of the tumor in the tissue removed during surgery is reported as the tumor size. The best way to measure tumor size is under a microscope, especially for small tumors. Tumor size is most often reported in centimeters or millimeters (1 inch = 2.54 centimeters = 25.4 millimeters). ![]() The microscopic description details what the pathologist saw and measured when they looked at the biopsy tissue under a microscope. This information may appear grouped together or as separate sections. If lymph nodes were removed, the status of these lymph nodes will also be included. It gives the pathologist’s final diagnosis and may include information on the tumor such as size, type, grade, hormone receptor status and HER2 status. This is the most important section of the report. Learn about pathology reports after neoadjuvant therapy. Some information on a pathology report is a bit different for people who get neoadjuvant therapy compared to those who get surgery as their first treatment. For people who get neoadjuvant (before surgery) therapy If no cancer is found in the tissue or if your diagnosis is ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), many of the sections described below will not be on your report.įind questions to ask your health care provider concerning your pathology results. Needle biopsy reports contain less information than surgical biopsy reports.Īlso, some tests are only done when invasive breast cancer or certain types of breast cancer are found. So, your report may not have the exact wording found here. However, understanding the basic parts of the report can help you be better informed about your diagnosis.ĭifferent pathology labs may use different terms to describe the same information. ![]() This can make some of the wording hard to understand. Pathology reports are written in medical language because they are prepared for health care providers.
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