The Pathology Report
If there is suspicion that a patient may have breast cancer, a sample of tissue (biopsy) may be taken for examination. After a biopsy is taken, the physician who performed the biopsy sends the specimen to a pathologist. The pathologist examines the specimens at both the macroscopic (visible with the naked eye) and microscopic (requiring magnification) levels and then sends a pathology report to the physician. The report contains information about the tissue's appearance, cellular make up, and state of disease or normalcy. For more information about the pathology report, refer to the Diagnosis & Detection section.
Staging
Staging a cancer is a way of describing the extent of the disease. One of the most common methods used for breast cancer staging is called the T/N/M system, which assigns a degree of severity based on the size, location, and spread of cancer in the body. Details of the T/N/M system and a breast cancer staging chart can be found in the Diagnosis and Detection section. Click on the following links to for more information:
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