The comments section is used by your pathologist to communicate important additional information about your diagnosis to other members of your health care team. This section is often used in unusual or more challenging cases to explain the rationale for arriving at the diagnosis.
This section is also used in situations where a diagnosis could not be reached on the tissue provided. In these circumstances, your pathologist may offer suggestions to increase the likelihood that a diagnosis can be determined if more tissue is sent for examination. For example, the report may say:
“A repeat biopsy from the edge of the lesion is recommended.”
OR
“An excisional biopsy of an accessible lymph node is recommended.”
In both cases your pathologist is providing a very specific recommendation to improve the quality of tissue submitted for pathological examination.
Not all pathology reports will include a comments section. Alternatively, some pathologists may choose to use this section to provide a microscopic description.