Pathology Report
A pathology report is a pathologist’s description of a tissue sample or body fluid after looking at it through a microscope. The pathologist also provides a diagnosis based on what they see. You might get a pathology report after a biopsy, colonoscopy or any other procedure where your provider sends fluid or tissue to a lab for testing.
What is a pathology report?
A pathology report is a pathologist’s description of what they found in a sample of body tissue or fluid. It also gives you a diagnosis or recommendations based on what the cells and tissues look like compared to what they expect normal ones to look like.
You might receive a pathology report if you’ve had a biopsy, surgery or another procedure where your provider took tissue, blood, poop or other body fluid samples. Maybe you’re reading a copy of the results that your healthcare provider let you take home. Or maybe you’re reviewing them in your electronic medical record. It’s not unusual to feel confused by the report. What exactly do those complicated words and numbers mean? A pathology report (or lab report) tells you about:
- How the provider got the sample and how they prepared it (for instance, if it’s fixed in formalin — a preservative — or stained to see certain features).
- How cells and tissues look under a microscope.
- The number and appearance of various cells, proteins and other substances, and how these compare to what the pathologist would expect to see.
- Whether there are germs (like bacteria, parasites, viruses or fungi) or other foreign particles in the sample.
What is pathology?
Pathology is the study of diseases, what causes them and their effects on our bodies. Anytime you have body fluid or tissue samples taken, it goes to a pathology lab for testing. Pathologists examine it to look for disease. Pathology is used to:
- Diagnose, monitor or screen for diseases and conditions.
- Help determine a course of treatment.
- Provide a prognosis (outlook).
- Assess risk for diseases (for instance, genetic testing for gene mutations that can cause cancer).
When would I receive a pathology report?
Most often, we think of pathology reports as something we get back after a biopsy to look for cancer. But you can also get pathology reports for conditions like endometriosis, colon polyps and any other condition where your provider takes a sample that a pathologist analyzes. This includes:
- Biopsy.
- Blood tests.
- Colonoscopy.
- Endoscopy (EGD).
- Gallbladder removal (cholecystectomy).
- Genetic testing.
- Laparoscopy (for instance, to diagnose endometriosis).
- Lumpectomy.
- Mastectomy.
- Sputum culture.
- Stool (poop) tests.
- Nasal swab (nasopharyngeal swab).
- Throat culture.
- Urine (pee) tests.
What are the parts of a pathology report?
Things you might see on a pathology report include:
- Procedure. This describes the surgery or procedure your provider used to get the sample that the lab tested.
- Gross description. This describes what the pathologist sees when they look at the sample. This can include color, weight, size and other characteristics they can see without a microscope (with their naked eye).
- Microscopic description. This describes features of the cells and other parts of the sample magnified under a microscope. A pathologist can prepare tissue and fluids by using different stains that allow them to see parts of cells or identify bacteria, viruses, fungi and other pathogens (germs).
- Margins. The margins are an area of normal cells around a tumor. Clear or negative margins mean that no cancer cells were found in the margins of the sample. Positive margins mean that they might not have removed all the cancer.
- Stage and grade. In cancer diagnoses, the stage describes how advanced cancer is by how far it’s spread outside its original location in your body. Grade describes how different cells look from what normal cells look like.
- Lymph nodes. If the lymph nodes included in a biopsy are positive, it means that the pathologist found cancerous cells in them. If they’re negative, they only found normal cells.
- Molecular results. These are results of tests to look for genetic changes (mutations) in cancer cells. Knowing these results can help determine treatment in certain cancers.
- Pathogens. This describes bacteria, viruses, parasites or fungi in the sample. You’re more likely to see this on lab reports for stool samples or body fluid samples.
- Diagnosis. This section summarizes the pathologist’s diagnosis based on all the features of the sample.
- Recommendations. If you had a procedure like a colonoscopy, your provider might note recommendations for follow-up or when to get your next screening test.
How long do pathology reports take?
It can take a week or longer to get a pathology report back. Sometimes, they’re ready sooner. Ask your provider when to expect results, but try not to worry if they take longer than expected. This doesn’t necessarily mean anything about your results.
It can be hard to wait for important results to come back. Sometimes, it helps to find ways to occupy your mind while you wait.
What happens if a pathology report is abnormal?
Your provider will let you know what your next steps are if you have abnormal or unexpected results in a pathology report. It depends on what the pathologist found and what treatment options are.
References
- Kradin RL, Deshpande V, Iafrate AJ. General Principles in the Diagnosis of Infection. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7152079/) Diagnostic Pathology of Infectious Disease. 2018 Jul:3-15. Accessed 6/6/2024.
- Olthof PB, Metman MJH, de Krijger RR, Scheepers JJ, Roos D, Dekker JWT. Routine Pathology and Postoperative Follow-Up are Not Cost-Effective in Cholecystectomy for Benign Gallbladder Disease (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29696323/). World J Surg. 2018 Oct;42(10):3165-3170. Accessed 6/6/2024.
- National Cancer Institute (U.S.). Pathology Reports. (https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/diagnosis-staging/diagnosis/pathology-reports-fact-sheet) Reviewed 8/8/2022. Accessed 6/6/2024.
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