Understanding Report Language
Plain-language explanations of the exact phrases on pathology, imaging, and lab reports — what they mean, what they don't prove, and what to ask.
Articles about Understanding Report Language
Understanding Report Language
Palliative Care vs. Hospice: What's the Difference?
Palliative care is comfort-focused care you can have at any stage, alongside treatment. Hospice is comfort care when treatment to cure has stopped. How they differ.
5 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
Remission vs. No Evidence of Disease: What's the Difference?
"Remission" and "no evidence of disease" overlap but aren't identical. What complete and partial remission mean, and how NED fits in.
4 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
Stage vs. Grade: What's the Difference?
Stage describes how far a cancer has spread. Grade describes how abnormal the cells look. They answer different questions — here's how they fit together.
4 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Do "Negative" and "Close" Margins Mean?
A negative (clear) margin means no cancer cells were seen at the edge of removed tissue. A close margin is nearby. What each means and what to ask.
4 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Do ER and PR Status Mean?
A plain-language explanation of estrogen receptor and progesterone receptor status in breast cancer reports. Based on the National Cancer Institute.
3 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does 'Adenocarcinoma' Mean on a Report?
A plain-language explanation of the pathology term adenocarcinoma — cancer that begins in gland-like cells. Based on the National Cancer Institute.
3 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does 'Atypia' or 'Atypical Cells' Mean?
A plain-language explanation of atypia on a pathology report — cells that look unusual but are not clearly cancer. Based on the National Cancer Institute.
3 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does 'Dysplasia' Mean on a Report?
A plain-language explanation of dysplasia — abnormal but not yet cancerous cell changes — and why it is watched. Based on the National Cancer Institute.
3 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does 'Hyperplasia' Mean?
A plain-language explanation of hyperplasia — an increase in the number of cells — and how it differs from cancer. Based on the National Cancer Institute.
3 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does 'Squamous Cell Carcinoma' Mean?
A plain-language explanation of squamous cell carcinoma — cancer that begins in flat, skin-like lining cells. Based on the National Cancer Institute.
3 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does 'Well Differentiated' Mean?
A plain-language explanation of tumor differentiation — well, moderately, and poorly differentiated — and what it says about grade. Based on the National Cancer Institute.
3 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does "Ground-Glass Opacity" Mean on a Lung Scan?
A ground-glass opacity (GGO) is a hazy area on a lung CT scan. It has many causes — most not cancer. What GGO means and what follow-up may involve.
4 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does "Incidental Finding" Mean on a Scan?
An incidental finding is something spotted on a scan that wasn't what the test was looking for. Most are harmless. What it means and what follow-up may involve.
3 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does "Lymphovascular Invasion" Mean?
Lymphovascular invasion (LVI) means cancer cells were seen inside small blood or lymph vessels in the tissue sample. What it suggests and what to ask.
4 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does "No Evidence of Disease" (NED) Mean?
"No evidence of disease" (NED) means tests can't detect cancer right now. How NED differs from "cured," and what it means for follow-up.
4 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does "Poorly Differentiated" Mean on a Pathology Report?
"Poorly differentiated" describes how abnormal cancer cells look under the microscope. What differentiation and grade mean, and what to ask your team.
4 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does "Positive Margin" Mean in a Pathology Report?
A positive margin means cancer cells were found at the edge of removed tissue. What that does and doesn't mean, and what to ask your care team.
4 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does "Suspicious" or "Indeterminate" Mean on a Scan?
"Suspicious" and "indeterminate" describe how confident a radiologist is about a finding — not a diagnosis. What each means and what usually happens next.
4 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does "Triple-Negative" Breast Cancer Mean?
Triple-negative means a breast cancer tests negative for estrogen receptors, progesterone receptors, and HER2. What that means for treatment options.
4 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does a "Pulmonary Nodule" Mean on a Scan?
A pulmonary nodule is a small spot in the lung found on imaging. Most are not cancer. What a nodule means and how doctors decide on follow-up.
4 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does HER2 Positive, Negative, or Low Mean?
HER2 is a protein tested on some cancers, especially breast cancer. What HER2 positive, negative, and low mean, and how they guide treatment options.
5 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does Immunohistochemistry (IHC) Mean?
A plain-language explanation of immunohistochemistry — a lab test that uses stains to identify proteins in cancer cells. Based on the National Cancer Institute.
3 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does Microsatellite Instability (MSI) Mean?
A plain-language explanation of microsatellite instability and mismatch repair status on a pathology report. Based on the National Cancer Institute.
3 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does the Ki-67 Score Mean?
A plain-language explanation of the Ki-67 proliferation marker on a pathology report. Based on the National Cancer Institute.
3 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does TNM Staging Mean?
A plain-language guide to the TNM system — Tumor, Node, Metastasis — used to describe how far a cancer has spread. Based on the National Cancer Institute.
3 min read · Beginner
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