Your medical test results are among the most important documents you receive after a biopsy, surgery, or routine bloodwork, yet they are often written in language that can feel unfamiliar and difficult to understand. The resources in this section are designed to change that.
Whether you are trying to understand a specific diagnosis, make sense of a blood test or infection result, look up an unfamiliar term, learn how a procedure works, or interpret a biomarker, you will find plain-language explanations written and reviewed by pathologists and laboratory medicine specialists. Use the links below to explore each area.
Diagnosis Guides
Detailed plain-language guides to hundreds of diagnoses, from common benign findings to cancers.
Start here if you have received a pathology report and want to understand what your specific diagnosis means, how it is described in your report, and what questions to ask your doctor.
Blood Tests
Plain-language guides to commonly performed blood tests, including the complete blood count (CBC), metabolic panels, liver and thyroid tests, and hemoglobin A1c.
Use this if your bloodwork includes a value you want to understand, such as a result flagged as low or high on your report.
Testing for Infections
Plain-language guides to the laboratory tests used to find and identify infections, including blood cultures, culture and sensitivity (C&S) testing, and rapid tests for common viruses and bacteria.
Use this if your report involves a test for a bacterial, viral, or other infection and you want to know what it measures and what the result means.
Biomarkers and Genetic Testing
Articles explaining the biomarker and molecular tests that increasingly appear in pathology reports, such as hormone receptor status, HER2, and mismatch repair testing.
Use this if your report includes biomarker or genetic results and you want to understand what they mean and how they guide treatment decisions.
Procedures and Specimen Types
Guides to the biopsies and surgical procedures that generate pathology reports, and the specimens they produce.
Use this if you want to understand what happened during your procedure, how your tissue was collected and processed, and why the pathologist’s findings matter for your care.
Pathology Dictionary
An alphabetical glossary of the terms most commonly found in pathology and laboratory reports, written in plain language.
Use this if you have encountered an unfamiliar word in your report and want a clear definition.
Understanding Pathology
Articles explaining what pathology is, how a report is structured, and how pathologists reach a diagnosis.
Start here if you are new to pathology reports and want background knowledge that will help you read any report with greater confidence.
A note on our content
All articles on MyPathologyReport.com are written or reviewed by pathologists and laboratory medicine specialists. Our goal is to provide accurate, up-to-date information that helps you understand your report, not to replace the conversation with your medical team. If you have questions about your specific results, please speak with your doctor.
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