Pathology dictionary for patients

MyPathologyReport
September 21, 2023


The pathology dictionary is a collection of patient-friendly definitions for the most common terms and phrases used by pathologists in pathology reports. These definitions describe general concepts. Visit our Diagnosis Library to learn more about your diagnosis. Need help? Contact us.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P R S T U V W X Y Z

A

Abscess
Acanthosis
Acute inflammation
Addendum
Adenoma
Adenocarcinoma
Adenomyosis
Adenosquamous carcinoma
Adipose tissue
Adrenal gland
AE1/AE3
Amendment
Anaplastic
Anemia
Angioinvasion
Antral type mucosa
Antibody
Apocrine
Apoptosis
Arteriovenous malformation (AVM)
Atrophic
Atrophy
Atypia
Atypical
Atypical mitotic figure
Atypical mitosis​

B

B cells
Ballooning hepatocyte
Basal lymphoplasmacytosis
Basaloid neoplasm
Basophils
Benign
Benign neoplasm
Biopsy
Body type mucosa
BRAF
Breast cancer
Breslow thickness

C

Calcification
Carcinoma
Carcinoma in situ
Carcinoid
Cardiac mucosa
Cautery artifact
CD19
CD20
CD3
CD30
CD34
CD45
CD5
CD68
CDX-2
Cholesterol cleft
Chronic inflammation
Chromatin
Chromogranin
Colon
Colon cancer
Colonic mucosa
Columnar mucosa
Cribriform
Crohn’s disease
Crypt abscess
Crypt distortion
Cryptitis
Cyclin D1
Cytokeratin
Cytokeratin 5 (CK5)
Cytokeratin 7 (CK7)
Cytokeratin 20 (CK20)
Cytologic atypia
Cytomegalovirus (CMV)
Cyst
Cytoplasm

D

Degenerative changes
Desmin
Desmoplasia
DIF
Differentiated
Diffuse
Direct immunofluorescence
Distal
Duct
Dysplasia

E

E-cadherin
Edema
Edematous
Endophytic
Eosinophil
Epithelial cells
Epithelioid cells
Epithelium
Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)
Epstein-Barr virus-encoded small RNAs (EBER)
Estrogen receptor (ER)
Erosion
Excision
Exophytic
Extranodal extension (ENE)
Extraparenchymal extension

F

Fat necrosis
Fibrosis
Fibrinoid necrosis
Fibrinopurulent exudate
Fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB)
Flow
Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH)
Foamy histiocyte
Focal
Foveolar metaplasia
Frozen section
Fuhrman grade​

G

GATA-3
Gallbladder
Gastric heterotopia
Gland
Grade
Granulation tissue
Granuloma
Grocott (GMS)
Gross
Gross description

H

Hamartoma
HBME-1
Helicobacter pylori
H. pylori
Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E)
Hematopoietic cells
Heterogeneous
Her2
Herpes simplex virus (HSV)
High grade
High grade dysplasia
High-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL)
Histiocytes
HMB-45
Homogeneous
Human papillomavirus (HPV)
Hurthle cell
Hyams grade
Hypercellular
Hyperchromatic
Hyperchromasia
Hypergranulosis
Hyperkeratosis
Hyperplasia
Hypertrophy
Hypocellular

I

Immunohistochemistry (IHC)
Immunoglobulin
Immunoreactivity
Immunostain
Inadequate
Infiltrative
Infiltration
Inflammation
Inflammatory cell
Ischemic necrosis
Isolated tumour cells (ITCs)
In situ hybridization (ISH)
Insufficient for diagnosis
Intercellular bridges
Intestinal metaplasia
Intracytoplasmic
In-transit metastasis
In toto
Invasion

J

K

Karyotype
Keratinization
Ki-67
Koilocytes
KRAS

L

Lamina propria
Larynx
Lesion
Leukocyte
Limited for interpretation
Low grade
Low grade dysplasia
Low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL)
Lymphoid aggregate
Lymphocyte
Lymphocytosis
Lymphoid cells
Lymphovascular invasion (LVI)
Lymphoma
Lymph node

M

Margin
Mass
Mast cells
Malignant
Malignant neoplasm
Malignant spindle cell neoplasm
Melanocyte
Melanoma
Melan-A
Metaplasia
Metastasis
Mesothelial cells
MIB-1
Microcalcification
Minimally invasive
Mismatch repair (MMR)
Mitosis
Mitotic figure
Mucosa
Mucin
Mucinous
Mucicarmine
Multifocal
Myoepithelial cells
Myxoid

N

Natural killer cells (NK cells)
Neoplasm
Necrosis
Necrotizing granulomatous inflammation
Negative for malignancy
Neutrophil
Neuroendocrine cell
Neuroendocrine tumour (NET)
Neuroendocrine carcinoma (NEC)
Non-diagnostic
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma
Non-invasive
Non-necrotizing granulomatous inflammation
Non-reactive
Non-small cell carcinoma
Nottingham histologic grade
NRAS
Nuclear atypia
Nucleus
Nucleoli

O

Oncocytic
Oral cavity
Oropharynx
Osteoid
Oxyntic mucosa​

P

p16
p40
p53
p63
Pancreatic heterotopia
Pancreatic metaplasia
Paneth cell metaplasia
Papillary
Parenchyma
PASS score
PAX5
PAX8
Periodic Acid Schiff (PAS)
Periodic Acid Schiff plus Diastase (PAS-D)
Parakeratosis
PD-L1
Perineural invasion (PNI)
Plasma cells
Plasmacytoid cells
Pleomorphic
Polyp
Precursor
Progesterone receptor (PR)
Proximal
Prognosis
Poorly differentiated
Poorly differentiated neuroendocrine carcinoma
Positive for malignancy
pTNM

Q

R

Red blood cells (RBCs)
Reactive changes
Reactive lymphoid hyperplasia​
Resection
Ring sideroblasts​

S

S100
Sarcoma
Sarcomatoid
Sebaceous glands
Sentinel lymph node
Signet ring cell
Sinonasal tract
Small bowel mucosa
Smooth muscle actin (SMA)
Solar elastosis
SOX10
Stoma
Stroma
Squamous cell
Squamous epithelium
Squamous mucosa
Special stain
Specimen
Spindle cell
Spindle cell neoplasm
Spongiosis
Spongiotic
Synaptophysin
Syndrome​
Synoptic report

T

T cells
Tangentially sectioned
Testicle
Transformation zone
TTF-1
Tubal metaplasia
Tumour
Tumour capsule​
Tumour deposit
Tumour infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs)
Tumour necrosis
Tumour regression
Thyroglobulin
Thyroid nodule

U

Ulcer
Ulcerative colitis
Undifferentiated
Urothelial cell​
Uterus

V

Vasculitis
Vascular invasion
Viral cytopathic effects
Virus

W

Well differentiated

X

Xanthoma

Y

Z

A+ A A-