Pathology and screening
Biopsy report explainer
Biopsy results are often only a few lines long, with one diagnosis line for each sample taken. Add your report below to see each line restated and each technical word explained.
Explain your biopsy report
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- 3. Read itSummary, table of results, terms and questions to ask.
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What you get
- One row for each sample or site, labelled as in your report.
- Each diagnosis line quoted and then restated in ordinary words.
- Terms such as dysplasia, atypia, in situ and invasive defined.
- Questions to ask at your results appointment.
Wording you may see
- Negative for malignancyNo cancer was seen in the sample
- Atypia or atypical cellsCells that look different from normal
- Dysplasia, low grade or high gradeAbnormal-looking cells, graded by how abnormal they appear
- In situAbnormal cells that have stayed in the layer where they began
- InvasiveAbnormal cells that have grown into nearby tissue
- Non-diagnostic or insufficientThe sample did not contain enough tissue to reach a conclusion
What this tool cannot tell you
A biopsy examines a small sample, so its result applies to the tissue that was taken. What the result means for you, and what happens next, depends on things that are not in the report. MedicDecode restates the report and does not interpret it for your situation. Please go through the result with your doctor.
Common questions
What does non-diagnostic mean?
The pathologist could not reach a conclusion from the sample, often because it held too little tissue. A repeat biopsy may be suggested.
What does atypical mean?
The cells do not look entirely normal, but the pathologist is not calling them cancer. What it means depends on the tissue and the rest of the report.
Why does my report have an addendum?
Results of extra tests, such as special stains, are often added to the original report as an addendum when they are ready.
Words you may see on this report
Tap a word for its plain-English meaning, an example line and what it does not mean.
- Atypical
Atypical means cells look different from normal under the microscope, but not clearly enough to be called cancer.
- Biopsy
A biopsy is a procedure to take a small sample of tissue so it can be looked at under a microscope.
- Carcinoma in situ
Carcinoma in situ means abnormal cells that look like cancer are found, but they have not grown beyond the layer where they started.
- Dysplasia
Dysplasia means cells look abnormal under the microscope in a way that is not cancer, but in some tissues may lead toward cancer if left alone.
- Margins
Margins are the edges of tissue removed in surgery. The pathologist checks whether abnormal cells reach those edges.
- Benign
Benign means not cancer. A benign growth does not spread to other parts of the body.
- Cytology
Cytology is the study of individual cells, usually from fluid, a smear or a fine needle sample, looked at under a microscope.
- Grade and stage
Grade describes how abnormal cancer cells look under a microscope. Stage describes how large a cancer is and how far it has spread.
- Malignant
Malignant means cancerous. A malignant growth can grow into nearby tissue and may spread to other parts of the body.
- Metastasis
Metastasis means cancer cells have spread from where they started to another part of the body. The plural is metastases.
- Necrosis
Necrosis means death of body tissue or cells in a particular area, caused by injury, infection, lack of blood supply or certain substances.