How to Read Your Child’s Pathology Report

What is a pathology report?

How pathology results guide care and treatment

Planning your child’s care and treatment involves several types of information. The care team may: 

• Talk with you about your child’s symptoms 
• Do a physical exam 
• Use pathology results to learn about your child’s condition 

Pathology results can give information about conditions such as: 

• Cancer: The type of cancer or cancer subtype and features that may affect treatment 
• Blood disorders: Changes in blood cells or how the body makes them 
• Immune disorders: Changes in immune cells or how they work 

The care team may also order blood tests, imaging tests, and genetic tests. The care team uses these findings and other test results to plan your child’s care and treatment. In some cases, treatment may need to start before all results are ready. 

Parts of a pathology report

Pathology reports can have a lot of medical information. Knowing what the main parts of the report mean can make it easier to understand your child’s results and talk with your care team. 

The sections and section names in pathology reports vary. What is included depends on the sample type, tests performed, disease, lab, and hospital. 

Patient information 

The patient information identifies your child and the sample. It may include your child’s name, date of birth, and medical record number (MRN). It may also include dates related to the sample or procedure and a unique number the lab uses to track the sample. 

Specimen information 

A specimen is a sample sent to the lab for testing. It may be tissue, blood, bone marrow, body fluid, or another type of sample. The report may tell where the sample came from and how it was collected, such as: 

• Bone marrow aspirate 
• Lymph node biopsy 
• Skin biopsy 
• Tumor removal 

If more than 1 specimen was collected, each may be listed separately. 

Gross description 

The gross description mainly applies to tissue samples. It describes what the sample looks like without a microscope, such as: 

• Size 
• Weight 
• Color 

Some pathology reports do not include a gross description section. 

Microscopic description 

The microscopic description is what the cells or tissues look like under a microscope. It may describe features that look normal or abnormal. 

Some pathology reports do not have a microscopic description section. 

Diagnosis 

The diagnosis section gives the main findings or diagnosis. What is included depends on your child’s condition and the sample used. Information may include: 

• What disease was found and, when possible, the type or subtype   
• What the cells or tissues look like 
• Whether lymph nodes have abnormal or cancer cells 
• The results of special lab tests, such as flow cytometry 
• Whether chromosome changes were found 
• Molecular or genetic test results 

If your child has a tumor, the report may give details about the tumor, such as: 

• Size: how large the tumor is 
• Grade: how abnormal the cells look under a microscope 
• Stage or staging information: findings that may help the care team know how much cancer is in the body and whether it has spread 
• Margins: whether tumor cells are found at the edges of the tissue removed during surgery 

Not every pathology report includes all of these results. 

Other sections you may see

Pathology reports do not all use the same section names. Your child’s report may also include sections called: 

• Comment or note: may give more information about the findings. It may also mention tests that are not finished. 
• Special studies: may give results from additional tests that help the pathologist learn more about the disease 
• Synoptic report: a section that organizes important pathology findings in a standard format so they are easy to find 
• Addendum: adds information that became available after the first report. For example, results from special lab or molecular tests may be added later. 
• Amended report: contains information in the report that was corrected or changed 

The report usually includes the name of the pathologist who reviewed the sample. 

Preliminary and final pathology results

Some results take longer than others. Preliminary results are early results that are available before all testing is done. A final pathology report is available after the pathologist has reviewed all of the information needed to complete the report. 

You may see preliminary or final results in your child’s patient portal before the care team has reviewed them with you. 

Ask your child’s care team: 

• If they are waiting for any results 
• What the results mean 
• If new results could affect your child’s diagnosis or care plan 

Your child’s care team can help you understand the pathology report and how the results may affect your child’s care. 

Questions to ask your care team

• How long does it take for pathology results? 
• When will the pathology report be available? 
• Where can I find or get a copy of the pathology report? 
• Are any pathology results still pending? 
• Will more results be added to the pathology report later? 
• What does the pathology report tell us about my child’s condition? 
• Which results are most important for my child? 
• How do the pathology results affect my child’s treatment or care plan? 
• Will my child need more tests? 
• Who should we contact if we have questions about the pathology report? 

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