Pathology Report:
What You Need to Know

The foundation of any diagnosis is rooted in the information found in your breast cancer pathology report. Breastlink offers patients transparent and unlimited access to their personal health information, including their pathology reports. Although a pathology report may initially seem technical and confusing, it's essential for you to understand your health information to make appropriate treatment choices, as you are the most integral member of your treatment team.

What Is A Breast Cancer Pathology Report?

A pathology report is a document written by a medical professional, a pathologist, which contains a diagnosis and description of the disease based on an examination of affected body tissue using a microscope. Generally, women diagnosed with breast cancer will have at least two separate pathology reports, one completed after biopsy and one completed after surgery.

Pathology Report: Needle Biopsy

According to the American Cancer Society, approximately 85% of women with breast cancer are diagnosed based on a needle biopsy, which removes breast tissue for testing in a laboratory. A pathologist at the laboratory examines the tissue under a microscope and performs tests to produce a detailed diagnosis.

The pathology report will contain information regarding tumor location, size, grade, whether cancer is confined to breast ducts, and the presence of hormone receptors. Pathology reports are often subjected to a second independent review because they are critically important to treatment planning. Used in combination with clinical exams and imaging studies, pathology reports form the framework for treatment planning.

Pathology Report: Surgical

Following surgery to remove cancerous tissue from the breast, a second pathology report is produced. Modern breast cancer treatments generally aim to preserve as much healthy breast tissue as possible, with only cancerous tissue and a small amount of surrounding healthy tissue removed during surgery.

Tissue specimens removed from the breast during surgery are sent to a laboratory for additional testing by a pathologist. The resulting pathology report will contain information regarding whether cancer is confined to breast ducts, potential lymph node involvement, cancer staging and grading, and tumor size, as well as hormonal and HER2/neu status.

Accurate Breast Cancer Pathology Reports Critical to Appropriate Care

Developments in breast cancer treatments have resulted in pathology reports that are vastly more informative than ones produced in the past. It is of utmost importance that the pathology of your breast cancer is thoroughly and accurately reported in a format you can understand. At Breastlink, we have worked closely with pathologists to develop breast cancer pathology reports that, we hope, you will find easy to understand and helpful in your fight against breast cancer.