by Jason Wasserman MD PhD FRCPC
April 12, 2026
When you receive a pathology report, many of the findings in it apply to concepts that go beyond any single diagnosis. Staging, grading, margins, testing methods, and report structure are the same whether you have a breast cancer diagnosis, a colon cancer diagnosis, or something else entirely. The articles in this section explain those concepts — not for a specific diagnosis, but in plain language that helps you understand any pathology report more fully.
If you are looking for a detailed guide to a specific diagnosis, visit our Diagnosis Guides. If you are looking for a definition of a single medical term, visit our Pathology Dictionary. If you want to understand a specific biomarker result, visit our Biomarkers and Molecular Testing section.
Articles in this section
A plain-language guide to the TNM staging system used in cancer pathology reports, including what the T, N, and M values mean, how the overall stage is determined, and how staging affects treatment and prognosis.
Start here if your pathology report includes a stage such as pT2N1M0, Stage II, or Stage III, and you want to understand what those letters and numbers mean.
A guide to cytology reports — pathology reports based on the examination of individual cells rather than tissue — including what types of procedures produce cytology results and how to read them.
What does “pending” or “additional testing required” mean in my pathology report?
An explanation of why a pathology report may be issued with pending results or a note that additional testing is required, what types of tests are commonly added, and what to expect next.
What happens after your pathology report? (coming soon)
An overview of the steps that typically follow a pathology diagnosis, including who reviews your report, how results are communicated to your care team, and what to expect as you move toward treatment or further testing.
How to get a second opinion on a pathology report (coming soon)
A practical guide to requesting a second pathology opinion, including when it is appropriate, how tissue slides and blocks are transferred, and what to expect from the process.
Understanding next-generation sequencing (NGS) and genomic testing (coming soon)
An overview of next-generation sequencing panels used in cancer care, including what they test for, how results are reported, and what terms like “variant of uncertain significance” mean.
How to read the microscopic description section of your pathology report (coming soon)
A guide to the microscopic description section — the part of your report that records what the pathologist observed under the microscope — including commonly used terms and how this section relates to the final diagnosis.
How to read the gross examination section of your pathology report (coming soon)
A guide to the gross examination section of a pathology report — the part that describes the physical appearance of your tissue sample before it is examined under the microscope — including what the measurements, colors, and descriptions mean.
What is an intraoperative consultation? (coming soon)
An explanation of intraoperative consultations — also called frozen sections — including why a pathologist may be asked to examine tissue during surgery, how the process works, and how intraoperative results relate to the final pathology report.
New articles are added to this section regularly. In the meantime, our Pathology Dictionary defines the terms most commonly found in pathology reports, and Osler, our pathology chatbot, can help explain specific findings from your report in plain language.
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