Your pathology results

If you've had a biopsy to diagnose breast cancer, or you have had breast cancer surgery, a doctor called a pathologist will look at the tissue under a microscope. They’ll look at the features of the cancer cells.

The pathologist may also do tests on the tissue to get more information about the breast cancer. 

This information is called the pathology results.The pathology results help your treatment team decide the treatment you’re offered. 

How long you wait for your pathology results depends on the type of biopsy or surgery you had.

Results usually take between 1 and 2 weeks. Some tests take longer than others and may be done in a different hospital to the one where you’re being treated. Occasionally, pathologists get a second opinion about the results or need to do extra tests, which can take longer. 

Your specialist or breast care nurse should be able to tell you when your results will be ready. 

Many people feel anxious waiting for their results. If you want to talk to someone about how you’re feeling, you can call our helpline to speak to 1 of our nurses.

Waiting for biopsy results?

If you’re waiting for the results of a biopsy, you may find it useful to read our information and tips about waiting for your biopsy results.

Getting your results

When you first get your results, you may find it hard to take everything in. 

You might want to bring a pen and paper or your phone to your appointment so you can make notes. Or record the appointment on your phone so you can listen back to it later. Just ask permission first.

It can also help to bring a relative or friend with you to the appointment. 

If you’re told anything you don’t understand, ask your treatment team to explain. 

You can also call our helpline to help you understand the results. See the bottom of this page for ways to get in touch.

Each time you have tissue removed, it’s looked at under a microscope and a report is written by a pathologist.

A report will be written if you have:

• A biopsy
• Breast-conserving surgery
• A mastectomy
• Surgery to the lymph nodes under the arm

You can ask for a copy of your pathology report to read through with a member of your treatment team or later in your own time.

The amount of detail in each report will depend on what tissue was removed and how much. For example, a report after surgery might contain more information than a biopsy report.

Your treatment team may need to wait for all your reports to come back before they can discuss a full treatment plan with you.

Not all pathology reports look the same. The layout and the words used might be different between hospitals. However, most follow this structure. 

General information 

This will include your:

• Name
• Date of birth
• Hospital number

It will also include your specialist’s name and the date of your surgery or biopsy. 

Clinical information 

This is the information given to the pathologist about the tissue removed, such as which breast it came from and where it was in the breast. 

Features of the breast tissue before it’s looked at under a microscope

This section may include information about: 

• The overall size, weight and appearance of the tissue 
• How it was prepared to be looked at under the microscope 

Features of the cancer seen under a microscope 

This section of the report describes various features, which are listed below. 

Summary of the main points 

This will often be a list at the beginning or end of the report. 

The pathology report will usually have information about:

• The type of breast cancer
• The size of the cancer
• The grade of the cancer 
• Whether all the cancer was removed during surgery
• If there are any cancer cells in the lymph or blood vessels
• If any of the lymph nodes under the arm contain cancer cells
• If hormones are helping the cancer to grow
• If the cancer is HER2-positive, HER2-negative or HER2-low

Your treatment team will use all the information from your pathology results, alongside other factors such as your medical history, to decide which treatments to offer you and how they might benefit you.

If you would like to discuss your pathology report, give our helpline a call to speak to one of our nurses. See below for how to get in touch.