The difficulty in knowing read a breast cancer pathology report doesn't necessarily lie in interpreting its contents, but in the fact that it usually involves more than one report. Also, one portion of your breast cancer pathology report may be readily available while another may take weeks. Get prepared by learning read a breast cancer pathology report.
Instructions
1. Verify that the name on the breast cancer pathology report is yours and that it describes the correct surgery or procedure that you underwent.
2. Note the "Specimen" section of your breast cancer pathology report, which provides details of where tissue samples were taken--from the breast itself or from the axilla (underarm lymph nodes). It's not uncommon to have tissue samples taken from both.
3. Check the "Clinical History" portion of your breast cancer pathology report to be sure that your previous medical history is complete and accurate. You might also find information about the procedure performed to conduct the pathology report repeated here.
4. Be aware that the "Clinical Diagnosis" section of the breast report indicates your physician's overall diagnosis before additional test procedures were performed and does not necessarily reflect an appropriate diagnosis going forward.
5. Examine the "Gross Description" portion of the report carefully. Here is where you'll find specific details about any tissues samples taken to conduct the pathological exam, such as color, size and weight.
6. Know that the "Microscopic Description" of your breast cancer pathology report is probably the first section with new information you will read. This is because cancer cells from tissue samples are usually examined under a microscope immediately after surgical extraction.
7. Read through the various subsequent sections of the report (if applicable), which might indicate the rate of cancer cell proliferation by measuring certain markers, such as gene and protein measurements.
8. Schedule an appointment with your physician to review the "Summary" of the breast cancer pathology report carefully and discuss its contents. Make sure that anything that isn't clear or that you don't understand is explained to you.
Tags: pathology report, cancer pathology report, cancer pathology, breast cancer pathology, breast cancer