pathology report

Ependymoma: Understanding Your Pathology Report

Ependymoma is a tumor that grows from ependymal cells. These cells line the fluid-filled spaces of the brain and the narrow central canal running down the middle of the spinal cord. Ependymomas can develop anywhere along that lining, from the top of the brain to the bottom of the spine where the tumor starts matters …
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Glypican-3: Definition

Glypican-3 is a protein on the outer surface of cells that helps control signals that tell a cell whether to grow. The liver and other organs in a developing baby make large amounts before birth, and production almost stops afterward. Healthy liver tissue in a child or adult makes very little of it. Because normal …
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Beta-catenin: Definition

Beta-catenin is a protein found in almost every cell in the body. It does two jobs. It helps hold neighboring cells together at their surfaces. It also carries growth signals from the surface of a cell into the nucleus, the compartment where the genetic material is kept. Pathologists test for beta-catenin using a stain applied …
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INI1 (SMARCB1): Definition

INI1 is a protein found in the nucleus of every normal cell in the body. It is made by a gene called SMARCB1, and you may see either name in your report. Some laboratories write INI1, some write SMARCB1, and a few write BAF47. All three refer to the same thing. INI1 is a tumor …
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Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP): Definition

Alpha-fetoprotein, usually shortened to AFP, is a protein made in large amounts by the liver and the yolk sac of a developing baby before birth. After birth, the amount falls steadily, and by around 8 months of age it reaches the low level found in healthy older children and adults. AFP appears in pathology and …
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Choroid Plexus Tumors: Understanding Your Pathology Report

Choroid plexus tumors grow from the choroid plexus, the tissue inside the brain that makes the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord. There are three types, and the pathology report will name one: choroid plexus papilloma, atypical choroid plexus papilloma, and choroid plexus carcinoma. They range from a slow-growing tumor that is usually cured …
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Hepatoblastoma: Understanding Your Pathology Report

Hepatoblastoma is a cancer that develops from immature liver cells. It is the most common liver cancer in children and accounts for about 1 percent of all childhood cancers. Most children are diagnosed before their third birthday, and almost all before the age of 5. It is different from hepatocellular carcinoma, the liver cancer seen in …
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Biomarkers in Acute Myeloid Leukemia

A biomarker is a measurable feature of a cancer that tells doctors something useful about how it will behave or how to treat it. In acute myeloid leukemia, almost all biomarkers are genetic changes inside the leukemia cells, found by testing bone marrow or blood. They matter more in this disease than in most cancers, …
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Acute Myeloid Leukemia in Children: Understanding Your Pathology Report

Acute myeloid leukemia is a cancer that starts in the bone marrow, the soft tissue inside bones where blood cells are made. Immature blood cells, called blasts, multiply quickly and fail to develop into functional red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. As blasts build up, the marrow can no longer make enough normal …
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Retinoblastoma: Understanding Your Pathology Report

Retinoblastoma is a cancer that develops from immature retinal cells, the light-sensing tissue at the back of the eye. It is the most common eye cancer in children. About 1 child in every 15,000 to 18,000 born is affected. Almost all cases are diagnosed before age 5, and two-thirds before age 2. Retinoblastoma is diagnosed …
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