TdT, short for terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase, is a protein found in the nucleus of very young, immature lymphocytes. Pathologists test for TdT to help diagnose acute lymphoblastic leukemia and lymphoblastic lymphoma, which are cancers made of these immature cells. TdT also helps the pathologist diagnose thymoma, a tumor of the thymus gland in the chest. …
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CD23 is a protein found on the surface of some B cells and on a type of support cell inside lymph nodes called the follicular dendritic cell. Pathologists most often test for CD23 to help diagnose chronic lymphocytic leukemia and small lymphocytic lymphoma, and to separate them from other small-cell lymphomas. CD23 also helps the …
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The gross description is the part of your pathology report that describes your tissue as it looked to the naked eye, before any slides were made. It records how the sample arrived and what it looked like. It also records its size and how it was cut up for the microscope. In this setting, “gross” …
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A patient portal is a secure website or app where you can see your own test results, including blood tests and pathology reports. Many hospitals, laboratories, and provinces or states now offer a patient portal, and results often appear there before you speak with your doctor. Results can also be slow to appear, disappear for …
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Pathology reports use words such as benign and malignant to describe what was found, and words such as atypical and suspicious to show how sure the pathologist is. A benign result means noncancerous, and a malignant result means cancer. Atypical and suspicious results fall in between, and they are among the most confusing words a …
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Tumor grade describes how different the tumor cells look from normal cells when a pathologist examines them under the microscope. A grade appears in the pathology report for most cancers and many precancerous changes. In general, a low grade means the cells still look and behave much like normal cells. A high grade means they …
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A nondiagnostic result means the pathologist could not make a diagnosis from the sample that was sent. Reports may also call it insufficient for diagnosis, inadequate, or unsatisfactory for evaluation. The result does not mean that something bad was found, and it does not mean that everything is normal. It means the sample could not …
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A pathology report can be updated after it is first released. New information may be added in an addendum, or the report may be changed in an amended report, sometimes called a corrected or revised report. Most updates are a normal part of how pathology works, because some tests take longer than others. A small …
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An intraoperative consultation is a quick examination of tissue by a pathologist while you are still in the operating room. During the operation, the surgeon sends the tissue to the lab, and the pathologist provides an answer within minutes. The surgeon then uses that answer to decide how to finish the operation. The most common …
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A pathology report is the document a pathologist writes after examining tissue or cells removed from your body. It is written mainly for your doctors, so it uses medical language and follows a format that can be hard to read at first. Most reports follow the same set of sections, and each section answers a …
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