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
ALK-Positive Lung Cancer: Meaning
ALK rearrangement or ALK fusion in non-small cell lung cancer: why it matters, report wording, and questions to ask.
7 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
Benign vs. Malignant: What's the Difference?
Benign means not cancer; malignant means cancer. The key difference is the ability to invade and spread.
4 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
Biopsy vs. Aspiration: What's the Difference?
Aspiration draws out fluid or cells with a thin needle; a biopsy removes a tissue sample to examine. The terms overlap, and here's how they fit together.
4 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
BRCA Mutation in Ovarian Cancer
BRCA mutation in ovarian cancer: why it matters, report wording, and questions to ask.
8 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
BRCA Mutation in Prostate Cancer
BRCA mutation in prostate cancer: why it matters, report wording, and questions to ask.
7 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
Complete vs. Partial Response: What They Mean
A complete response means no cancer can be detected on tests; a partial response means the cancer shrank but some remains. Both can be good news.
3 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
CT vs. MRI vs. PET Scan: What Each Shows
CT uses x-rays for detailed slices, MRI uses magnets and radio waves for soft tissue, and PET shows how active tissues are. Here is what each scan shows.
4 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
Cyst vs. Tumor: What's the Difference?
A cyst is a sac in the body that may hold fluid or other material. A tumor is an abnormal mass of tissue. They are not the same, and tests tell them apart.
4 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
dMMR Endometrial Cancer: Meaning
dMMR in endometrial cancer: why it matters, report wording, and questions to ask.
6 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
EGFR Mutation in Lung Cancer
EGFR mutation in non-small cell lung cancer: why it matters, report wording, and questions to ask.
7 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
Eosinophil Count and Cancer: What High or Low Means
What an eosinophil count on a CBC means: the normal range, common causes of high or low results, the rare blood cancers behind some cases, and next steps.
5 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
HER2-Low Breast Cancer: Meaning
HER2-low in breast cancer: why it matters, report wording, and questions to ask.
5 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
How to Read a Cancer Pathology Report
Which part of a pathology report holds the answer, and what specimen, gross, microscopic, margins, grade and synoptic sections actually mean.
5 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
HRD-Positive Ovarian Cancer
HRD-positive in ovarian cancer: why it matters, report wording, and questions to ask.
8 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
Invasive Lobular Carcinoma on Your Pathology Report
Invasive lobular carcinoma on a breast pathology report: what the term means, how it differs from ductal carcinoma, and why dense tissue can hide it.
5 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
KRAS G12C in Colorectal Cancer
KRAS G12C in colorectal cancer: why it matters, report wording, and questions to ask.
6 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
KRAS G12C in Lung Cancer: Meaning
KRAS G12C in lung cancer: why it matters, report wording, and questions to ask.
7 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
Micrometastases vs. Macrometastases Explained
The 0.2 mm and 2 mm thresholds that separate isolated tumor cells, micrometastases and macrometastases in lymph nodes, and what each one means.
6 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
MRI vs. CT Scan: What's the Difference?
An MRI uses magnets and radio waves; a CT uses x-rays. They show different tissues better and are used for different reasons. Here's how the two scans compare.
3 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
MSI-H Colorectal Cancer: Meaning
MSI-H or dMMR in colorectal cancer: why it matters, report wording, and questions to ask.
7 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
Oncologist vs. Hematologist: Who Does What
An oncologist is trained to diagnose and treat cancer. A hematologist is trained to diagnose and treat blood disorders. Their roles can overlap.
3 min read · Beginner
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.
4 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
PET Scan vs. CT Scan: What's the Difference?
A PET scan shows how tissue is working; a CT scan shows detailed structure. Here's how the two imaging tests differ, when each is used, and why they're
4 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
Polyp vs. Tumor: What's the Difference?
A polyp is a growth that sticks out from a lining, often harmless; a tumor is any abnormal lump. Some polyps are a type of tumor, and some can become cancer.
4 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
Remission vs. Cure: What's the Difference?
Remission means signs of cancer have decreased or disappeared; cure means the cancer is gone and won't come back.
3 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
Remission vs. NED vs. Cancer-Free
What is the difference between complete remission, No Evidence of Disease (NED), and cancer-free? Learn why doctors use specific wording.
2 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
Stable Disease vs. Partial Response vs. Progression
What RECIST measures: partial response is 30% shrinkage, progression 20% growth, and stable disease is everything in between — not treatment failure.
5 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
Stage 2 vs. Stage 3 Cancer: What Changes
Stage numbers describe how much cancer there is and how far it has spread. A higher number, like stage 3 versus stage 2, generally means more local spread.
4 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
Stage 3 vs. Stage 4 Cancer: What's the Difference?
Stage 3 usually means cancer has grown or spread to nearby lymph nodes; stage 4 means it has spread to distant parts of the body.
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
Surgical Margins: What Positive, Close, and Clear Mean
What positive, close and clear surgical margins mean on a pathology report, and why a positive margin does not automatically mean another operation.
6 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
Thyroid Nodule on Ultrasound: What Happens Next?
What a thyroid nodule on ultrasound can mean, how TI-RADS helps, and when biopsy may be recommended.
6 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
Tumor Grade vs. Stage: What's the Difference?
Grade describes how abnormal cancer cells look under a microscope; stage describes how far the cancer has spread.
3 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
Ultrasound vs. Mammogram: What's the Difference?
A mammogram uses low-dose x-rays; an ultrasound uses sound waves. They show different things and are often used together.
4 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
Understanding Frightening Language in CT & MRI Reports
What phrases like cannot be excluded, clinical correlation recommended and indeterminate really signal in a CT or MRI report.
5 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
Understanding Gleason Scores and Grade Groups
Why the lowest Gleason score is 6, not 1, how Grade Groups 1-5 map onto it, and what your prostate biopsy grade does and does not predict.
6 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
Understanding Oncotype DX & Recurrence Scores
What Oncotype DX and MammaPrint measure, why they estimate chemotherapy benefit rather than risk alone, and what TAILORx and MINDACT found.
5 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
Understanding Prostate Cancer Gleason Scores
A plain-language clinical breakdown of biomarker testing, diagnostic staging, and treatment options for Understanding Prostate Cancer Gleason Scores.
5 min read · Intermediate
Understanding Report Language
Variant of Uncertain Significance (VUS)
Practical, source-based guidance on variant of uncertain significance (vus), including planning steps, questions, safety limits, and care-team support.
7 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What 'Poorly Differentiated' Means on Your 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 a Mixed Response to Treatment Means
When some tumors shrink while others grow. How teams interpret a mixed or dissociated response, and why pseudoprogression must be ruled out first.
6 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What a PD-L1 Score Means for Immunotherapy
PD-L1 scores use TPS, CPS or IC. Cutoffs and assays differ by drug and cancer type, and a low score does not rule out benefit from immunotherapy.
6 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What a Variant of Uncertain Significance (VUS) Means
A VUS is not actionable. Most are eventually reclassified as benign, and your screening and treatment plan should not change because of one.
6 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What an 'Indeterminate Lesion' on a Scan Means
Indeterminate describes the limits of the scan, not a hidden verdict. What the word means, why it appears, and what usually happens next.
5 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Are Microcalcifications on a Mammogram?
Microcalcifications are tiny calcium specks in the breast. Clusters or suspicious patterns may need follow-up.
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.
3 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.
4 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Do LI-RADS 3, 4, and 5 Mean?
LR-3, LR-4, and LR-5 are three rungs on the LI-RADS probability ladder, and each one leads to a different next step.
5 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.
4 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.
4 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does 'Atypical Cells' Mean on a Report?
Atypical cells look abnormal under a microscope but are not clearly cancer. Here's what the term means on a report and why it often means more checking.
3 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does 'Bone Lesion' Mean on a Scan?
A bone lesion is an abnormal area in bone. It can be benign, injury-related, infection-related, or cancer-related depending on the pattern.
4 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does 'Bone Metastasis' Mean?
Bone metastasis means cancer has spread to bone from another part of the body. It is different from primary bone cancer.
4 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does 'Cannot Be Ruled Out' Mean on a Report?
'Cannot be ruled out' means a possibility remains open, not that it is confirmed.
3 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does 'Contrast Enhancement' Mean on a Scan?
Contrast enhancement means a tissue or spot becomes easier to see after contrast. It is a scan feature, not a diagnosis.
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.
4 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does 'Enhancing Lesion' Mean on MRI?
An enhancing lesion is an area that becomes more visible after contrast. It is a clue, not a diagnosis.
3 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does 'Hypermetabolic' Mean on a PET Scan?
Hypermetabolic means an area is using more sugar than usual and lights up on a PET scan. Cancer can cause this, but so can infection and inflammation.
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.
4 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does 'Indeterminate' Mean on a Scan?
'Indeterminate' means a finding is unclear — not clearly benign, not clearly cancer.
3 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does 'Lytic Lesion' Mean on a Scan?
A lytic lesion is an area where bone looks broken down or less dense. It can have benign, infection-related, or cancer-related causes.
4 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does 'Reactive Lymph Node' Mean?
A reactive lymph node usually means the node looks active from immune response, often infection or inflammation, not automatically cancer.
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.
4 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does 'Stable Disease' Mean?
Stable disease means the cancer has not clearly grown or shrunk on scans. It is often a reassuring, workable result. Here's what it means and what to ask.
3 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does 'Subcentimeter Lymph Node' Mean?
Subcentimeter means smaller than one centimeter. A small lymph node can be normal, reactive, or occasionally still important depending on context.
3 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does 'Unremarkable' Mean on a Scan?
'Unremarkable' is good news in radiology — it means nothing abnormal or worrying was seen. Here's what the word means on a scan report and what to ask.
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.
4 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does "Borderline Enlarged Lymph Node" Mean?
Borderline Enlarged Lymph Node explained in plain English: what it can mean, what it cannot prove, and what to ask next.
4 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does "Cannot Exclude Malignancy" Mean?
Cannot Exclude Malignancy explained in plain English: what it can mean, what it cannot prove, and what to ask next.
3 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does "Cystic Mass" Mean?
Cystic Mass explained in plain English: what it can mean, what it cannot prove, and what to ask next.
4 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does "Extranodal Extension" Mean?
Extranodal extension means cancer in a lymph node has grown beyond the node capsule. What ENE or ECE can suggest and what to ask.
4 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.
3 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does "High Grade" Mean?
High Grade explained in plain English: what it can mean, what it cannot prove, and what to ask next.
5 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does "Hypoattenuating Lesion" Mean?
Hypoattenuating Lesion explained in plain English: what it can mean, what it cannot prove, and what to ask next.
4 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does "Hypodense Lesion" Mean?
Hypodense Lesion explained in plain English: what it can mean, what it cannot prove, and what to ask next.
5 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.
4 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does "Interval Growth" Mean?
Interval Growth explained in plain English: what it can mean, what it cannot prove, and what to ask next.
3 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does "Low Grade" Mean?
Low Grade explained in plain English: what it can mean, what it cannot prove, and what to ask next.
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 "Mild Uptake" Mean?
Mild Uptake explained in plain English: what it can mean, what it cannot prove, and what to ask next.
3 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does "Necrosis" Mean on a Pathology Report?
Necrosis means dead tissue was seen in the sample. In a cancer report, its meaning depends on the tumor type, amount, and other findings.
3 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.
3 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does "Perineural Invasion" Mean?
Perineural invasion means cancer cells were seen around or along nerves in the tissue sample. What it can suggest, what it does not prove, and what to ask.
3 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does "Positive Lymph Node" Mean?
Positive Lymph Node explained in plain English: what it can mean, what it cannot prove, and what to ask next.
5 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.
3 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does "Residual Disease" Mean?
Residual disease means cancer cells remain after treatment or removal attempts. What the phrase can mean, what it does not prove, and what to ask.
4 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does "Sclerotic Lesion" Mean?
Sclerotic Lesion explained in plain English: what it can mean, what it cannot prove, and what to ask next.
3 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does "Solid Mass" Mean?
Solid Mass explained in plain English: what it can mean, what it cannot prove, and what to ask next.
3 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does "Stable Nodule" Mean?
Stable Nodule explained in plain English: what it can mean, what it cannot prove, and what to ask next.
4 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does "Suspicious For Malignancy" Mean?
Suspicious For Malignancy explained in plain English: what it can mean, what it cannot prove, and what to ask next.
5 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.
3 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does "SUV Max" Mean?
SUV Max explained in plain English: what it can mean, what it cannot prove, and what to ask 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.
5 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 a BRAF V600E Mutation Mean?
BRAF V600E explained for patients: what it is, why it may affect treatment options, and what to ask about testing.
4 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does a BRCA Tumor Mutation Mean?
BRCA tumor mutation explained for patients: what it is, why it may affect treatment options, and what to ask about testing.
4 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does a Gleason Score Mean?
The Gleason score describes how prostate cancer cells look under a microscope and how likely they are to grow.
3 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does a KRAS G12C Mutation Mean?
KRAS G12C explained for patients: what it is, why it may affect treatment options, and what to ask about testing.
6 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does a Rising PSA Mean?
A rising PSA means the level went up between tests. It has many causes besides cancer, and the trend matters more than one number. Here's what to ask.
3 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does a TP53 Mutation Mean?
TP53 makes the protein nicknamed guardian of the genome. It is the most commonly mutated gene in human cancer, and the key question is acquired or inherited.
5 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does Adjuvant Treatment Mean?
Adjuvant treatment is given after the main treatment to lower the chance cancer returns. Here's what the term means and what to ask your care team.
4 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does Adnexal Mass Mean?
Adnexal mass names a location beside the uterus, not a cause. What the scan features mean, and what CA-125 can and cannot settle.
5 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does an ALK Rearrangement Mean?
ALK rearrangement explained for patients: what it is, why it may affect treatment options, and what to ask about testing.
3 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does an EGFR Mutation Mean?
An EGFR mutation on a lung cancer report points to a specific set of pills. Which exon it sits in decides which ones, and it also explains why immunotherapy is usually held back.
7 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does an ESR1 Mutation Mean?
Plain-language help for ESR1 mutation on a cancer report: what it may mean, what it does not prove, and what to ask next.
6 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does an M-Spike Mean?
What an M-spike is, why MGUS is the usual answer, the risk factors that set the follow-up interval, and the numbers that separate MGUS from smoldering and active myeloma.
6 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does an NTRK Fusion Mean?
NTRK fusion explained for patients: what it is, why it may affect treatment options, and what to ask about testing.
3 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does Antibody-Drug Conjugate Mean?
antibody-drug conjugate: what it usually means, what it does not prove, and what to ask next.
6 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does Ascites Mean on a Scan?
Ascites is fluid in the abdomen. Liver disease heads the list of causes, cancer is one of several others, and a needle sample is what tells them apart.
4 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does BCR-ABL Mean on a Report?
Plain-language help for BCR-ABL on a cancer report: what it may mean, what it does not prove, and what to ask next.
6 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does Bethesda Category Mean on a Thyroid Biopsy?
Bethesda thyroid biopsy categories explain whether a thyroid nodule sample is benign, suspicious, malignant, or unclear.
6 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does Bethesda III Mean?
Bethesda III can appear in cancer reports or oncology notes. Learn what it can mean, what it cannot tell alone, and what to ask next.
6 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does Bethesda IV Mean?
Bethesda IV can appear in cancer reports or oncology notes. Learn what it can mean, what it cannot tell alone, and what to ask next.
3 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does Bethesda V Mean?
Bethesda V can appear in cancer reports or oncology notes. Learn what it can mean, what it cannot tell alone, and what to ask next.
3 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does BI-RADS 3 Mean?
BI-RADS 3: what it usually means, what it does not prove, and what to ask next.
6 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does BI-RADS 4 Mean?
BI-RADS 4: what it usually means, what it does not prove, and what to ask next.
6 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does BI-RADS 5 Mean?
BI-RADS 5: what it usually means, what it does not prove, and what to ask next.
6 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does BI-RADS Mean on a Mammogram Report?
BI-RADS is a standard 0-to-6 scale radiologists use to summarize a mammogram result. Here's what each category means and what to ask.
4 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does Bone Marrow Involvement Mean?
Bone marrow involvement means abnormal cells were found in the sample. What the percentage means and which tests run on the same needle.
4 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does CA-125 Mean on a Blood Test?
CA-125 is a tumor marker measured in blood, used mainly to follow certain cancers over time. Many non-cancer conditions can also raise it.
6 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does Calcification Mean on a Mammogram?
Breast calcifications are calcium deposits seen on a mammogram. Most are benign, but patterns can change follow-up.
4 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does CAR T-Cell Therapy Mean?
CAR T-cell therapy: what it usually means, what it does not prove, and what to ask next.
6 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does Carcinoma In Situ Mean?
Carcinoma in situ means abnormal cells are present but have not grown into nearby tissue. Here's what the term means on a pathology report and what to ask.
3 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does CEA Mean on a Blood Test?
CEA is a tumor marker measured in blood, often used to follow certain cancers over time.
3 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does Circulating Tumor DNA Mean?
circulating tumor DNA: what it usually means, what it does not prove, and what to ask next.
6 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does Clonal Hematopoiesis Mean?
Clonal hematopoiesis means one family of blood-forming cells has expanded. It is common with age, it is not leukemia, and it can distort a liquid biopsy result.
5 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does Complex Cyst Mean?
Complex cyst describes how a fluid-filled sac looks on a scan, not what it is. Which features earn the word, and what usually follows.
5 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does Deauville Score Mean?
The Deauville score is a 1-to-5 visual scale used to interpret FDG-PET scans in lymphoma response assessment.
4 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does dMMR Mean on a Cancer Report?
dMMR means deficient mismatch repair. What the four proteins are, how it relates to MSI-H, the two drugs approved on this marker alone, and the response rates behind those approvals.
6 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does ECOG Performance Status Mean?
ECOG Performance Status can appear in cancer reports or oncology notes. Learn what it can mean, what it cannot tell alone, and what to ask next.
6 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does EGFR Exon 20 Mean?
EGFR Exon 20 can appear in cancer reports or oncology notes. Learn what it can mean, what it cannot tell alone, and what to ask next.
6 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does Enlarged Lymph Node Mean on a Scan?
An enlarged lymph node on CT, MRI, ultrasound, or PET can have cancer and non-cancer causes. Context matters.
4 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does Equivocal Result Mean?
Equivocal means a test landed between its own two answers. Why that happens, what it is not, and how a second test is designed to force a clear result.
4 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does FDG-Avid Mean on a PET Scan?
FDG-avid means tissue took up the PET tracer. It can suggest active cells, but it is not always cancer.
4 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does FISH Amplification Mean?
FISH Amplification can appear in cancer reports or oncology notes. Learn what it can mean, what it cannot tell alone, and what to ask next.
6 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does FISH Test Mean in Cancer?
FISH lights up chosen genes or chromosome regions under a microscope. What it counts, where it is ordered, and what it ignores.
4 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does Flow Cytometry Mean?
Flow cytometry passes cells one at a time through a beam of light and reads their surface markers. Why the marker list is the result.
4 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does Free Light Chain Ratio Mean?
Free Light Chain Ratio can appear in cancer reports or oncology notes. Learn what it can mean, what it cannot tell alone, and what to ask next.
6 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does Grade Group Mean in Prostate Cancer?
Grade Group turns the two Gleason patterns on a prostate pathology report into a 1-to-5 scale that starts at 1, not at 6.
4 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does Guardant360 Mean?
Guardant360: what it usually means, what it does not prove, and what to ask next.
6 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.
3 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does HER2-Low Mean on a Report?
HER2-low explained for patients: what it is, why it may affect treatment options, and what to ask about testing.
4 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does Hormone Receptor Status Mean?
Hormone receptor status tells whether cancer cells have receptors for estrogen or progesterone. It helps guide treatment.
3 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does HPV 16 or 18 Positive Mean?
A positive HPV 16 or 18 result means the virus was found now, not that cancer is present. What the follow-up depends on.
5 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does HRD-Positive Mean?
HRD-positive explained for patients: what it is, why it may affect treatment options, and what to ask about testing.
4 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does Hyperplasia Mean on a Pathology Report?
Hyperplasia means more cells than usual, and NCI says those cells look normal. The words next to it decide what happens.
5 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does IHC 0, 1+, 2+, or 3+ Mean?
IHC 0, 1+, 2+, or 3+ can appear in cancer reports or oncology notes. Learn what it can mean, what it cannot tell alone, and what to ask next.
6 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.
4 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does Invasive Mean on a Pathology Report?
Invasive means cancer cells have grown beyond where they started into nearby tissue. Here's what the term means on a pathology report and what to ask.
3 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does Karnofsky Performance Status Mean?
Karnofsky Performance Status can appear in cancer reports or oncology notes. Learn what it can mean, what it cannot tell alone, and what to ask next.
3 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does LI-RADS 4 Mean?
LI-RADS 4 can appear in cancer reports or oncology notes. Learn what it can mean, what it cannot tell alone, and what to ask next.
6 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does LI-RADS 5 Mean?
LI-RADS 5 can appear in cancer reports or oncology notes. Learn what it can mean, what it cannot tell alone, and what to ask next.
6 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does LI-RADS Mean on a Liver Scan?
LI-RADS: what it usually means, what it does not prove, and what to ask next.
6 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does Lugano Criteria Mean?
Lugano criteria are used to assess lymphoma stage and response on imaging, especially PET/CT.
7 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does Lymphadenopathy Mean?
Lymphadenopathy is the medical name for swollen lymph nodes. Infection is the most common cause by a long way.
4 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does M Stage Mean in Cancer?
M Stage can appear in cancer reports or oncology notes. Learn what it can mean, what it cannot tell alone, and what to ask next.
5 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does M-Protein Spike Mean?
M-Protein Spike can appear in cancer reports or oncology notes. Learn what it can mean, what it cannot tell alone, and what to ask next.
6 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does MammaPrint Score Mean?
MammaPrint Score can appear in cancer reports or oncology notes. Learn what it can mean, what it cannot tell alone, and what to ask next.
3 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does Measurable Disease Mean?
Measurable Disease can appear in cancer reports or oncology notes. Learn what it can mean, what it cannot tell alone, and what to ask next.
6 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does Mediastinal Lymph Node Mean?
Mediastinal lymph nodes sit in the central chest. Which side they are on decides N stage, 1 cm is the CT threshold for biopsy, and PET gets it wrong often enough that tissue is still needed.
6 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does Metaplasia Mean?
Metaplasia means one mature tissue type has been replaced by another, usually after long irritation. What that means in the esophagus, the stomach and the cervix, and how it differs from dysplasia.
6 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.
4 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does Minimal Residual Disease Mean?
minimal residual disease: what it usually means, what it does not prove, and what to ask next.
6 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does Mitotic Rate Mean on a Pathology Report?
Mitotic rate counts how many cells are dividing in a sample, a clue to how fast a tumor may be growing. Here's what it means and what to ask.
3 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does Molecular Residual Disease Mean?
molecular residual disease: what it usually means, what it does not prove, and what to ask next.
6 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does Molecular Tumor Board Mean?
Molecular Tumor Board can appear in cancer reports or oncology notes. Learn what it can mean, what it cannot tell alone, and what to ask next.
6 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does MRD Mean in Cancer?
MRD means measurable or minimal residual disease, a sensitive way to look for small amounts of cancer after treatment.
7 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does MSI-H Mean on a Report?
MSI-H on a pathology report means the tumor lost its DNA proofreading. What that opens up in treatment, what it says about Lynch syndrome, and what it cannot tell you.
7 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does N Stage Mean in Cancer?
N Stage can appear in cancer reports or oncology notes. Learn what it can mean, what it cannot tell alone, and what to ask next.
6 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does Neoadjuvant Treatment Mean?
Neoadjuvant treatment is given before the main treatment, often to shrink a tumor before surgery.
4 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does O-RADS Mean on a Pelvic Report?
O-RADS: what it usually means, what it does not prove, and what to ask next.
6 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does Omental Caking Mean?
Omental caking is a CT description: the fatty apron in the abdomen looks thick and solid instead of soft. What it suggests, what it cannot prove, and what usually happens next.
6 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does Oncotype DX Score Mean?
Oncotype DX Score can appear in cancer reports or oncology notes. Learn what it can mean, what it cannot tell alone, and what to ask next.
5 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does PARP Inhibitor Mean?
PARP inhibitor: what it usually means, what it does not prove, and what to ask next.
6 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does Pathologic Complete Response Mean?
pathologic complete response: what it usually means, what it does not prove, and what to ask next.
6 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does PD-L1 CPS Mean?
PD-L1 CPS explained for patients: what it is, why it may affect treatment options, and what to ask about testing.
6 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does PD-L1 TPS Mean?
PD-L1 TPS explained for patients: what it is, why it may affect treatment options, and what to ask about testing.
3 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does Peritoneal Nodule Mean?
Plain-language help for peritoneal nodule on a cancer report: what it may mean, what it does not prove, and what to ask next.
6 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does PI-RADS 3 Mean?
PI-RADS 3 is the equivocal score, where the real question is whether to biopsy at all and PSA density often decides.
5 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does PI-RADS 4 Mean?
PI-RADS 4 is the score where biopsy is expected, and the live question becomes how the prostate gets sampled.
4 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does PI-RADS 5 Mean?
A prostate MRI reaches PI-RADS 5 for one of two reasons: the lesion is 1.5 cm or larger, or it appears to reach outside the gland.
5 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does PI-RADS Mean on Prostate MRI?
PI-RADS: what it usually means, what it does not prove, and what to ask next.
6 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does PSA Density Mean?
PSA Density can appear in cancer reports or oncology notes. Learn what it can mean, what it cannot tell alone, and what to ask next.
6 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does PTEN Loss Mean?
PTEN is a tumor suppressor gene. Loss may mean missing protein or a changed gene, and tumor-only versus inherited is the key question.
5 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does R0, R1, and R2 Margins Mean?
R0, R1, and R2 Margins can appear in cancer reports or oncology notes. Learn what it can mean, what it cannot tell alone, and what to ask next.
5 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does RECIST Mean in Cancer?
RECIST is a standard way clinical trials and oncologists measure whether solid tumors shrink, grow, or stay stable.
6 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does Signatera Mean?
Signatera: what it usually means, what it does not prove, and what to ask next.
6 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does Spiculated Mass Mean on a Mammogram?
A spiculated mass has spikes or points on its surface. On breast imaging, it is a finding that usually needs follow-up.
4 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does Stage 0 Cancer Mean?
Stage 0 usually means abnormal cells are present but have not spread into nearby tissue.
5 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does T Stage Mean in Cancer?
T Stage can appear in cancer reports or oncology notes. Learn what it can mean, what it cannot tell alone, and what to ask next.
6 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does the Bethesda System Mean on a Pap Test?
The Bethesda system is the naming scheme a Pap report uses for sample quality and for each kind of cervical cell change.
5 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.
4 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does Thyroid Nodule TI-RADS Mean?
thyroid nodule TI-RADS: what it usually means, what it does not prove, and what to ask next.
5 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does TI-RADS 4 Mean?
TR4 is a band of 4 to 6 points on ACR TI-RADS, and the size of the nodule then decides between a needle biopsy and a follow-up scan.
4 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does TI-RADS 5 Mean?
TI-RADS 5 can appear in cancer reports or oncology notes. Learn what it can mean, what it cannot tell alone, and what to ask next.
3 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does TI-RADS Mean on a Thyroid Ultrasound?
TI-RADS scores five ultrasound features of a thyroid nodule, adds the points, and pairs the total with a size rule.
5 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does TMB-High Mean on a Report?
TMB-high explained for patients: what it is, why it may affect treatment options, and what to ask about testing.
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.
4 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does Tumor Size Mean in Cancer?
Tumor size can affect stage and treatment planning, but size is only one part of the picture. Here is how to read the finding calmly.
3 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Does Tumor-Informed ctDNA Mean?
tumor-informed ctDNA: what it usually means, what it does not prove, and what to ask next.
6 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Is Invasive Ductal Carcinoma? A Report Term
Invasive ductal carcinoma is the most common breast cancer diagnosis. What invasive means on a pathology report, how it differs from DCIS, and what comes next.
5 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Lymph Node Involvement May Mean
What node-positive means on a pathology report, how sentinel node biopsy works, what 2/14 means, and what node involvement does and does not decide.
5 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Oligometastatic Cancer Means: Oligometastases Explained
Oligometastatic means a limited number of metastases. Some people with it are treated with local therapy aiming at long-term control or even cure.
6 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
What Pathologic Complete Response (pCR) Means
pCR means no residual invasive cancer in the tissue removed after neoadjuvant treatment. What it predicts, and what residual disease means instead.
6 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
When Patient Portal Test Results Cause Panic
Why results reach your portal before the clinician calls, what the wording means, and a practical sequence for the moment you open one.
5 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
Why Imaging and Pathology May Describe Cancer Differently
Why a scan and a pathology report can give different sizes and node results for the same cancer, and why pathology usually decides.
5 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
Why PET Scans Show Areas of Uptake (Hypermetabolism)
FDG PET lights up anything metabolically busy — infection, inflammation, healing, brown fat, brain and heart. Uptake is not the same as cancer.
6 min read · Beginner
Understanding Report Language
X-ray vs. CT Scan: What's the Difference?
A CT scan is built from many x-rays to make detailed slice pictures, so it shows more detail but uses a higher radiation dose than a standard x-ray.
4 min read · Beginner
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