Understanding Your Pathology Report
Gleason Scoring
During the analysis of a biopsy, the tissue receives a Gleason score. This scoring system numerically measures the abnormality of the glands (groups of cells) in your tissue biopsy.
If the glands look abnormal, the pathologist will give the tissue a score between 3 and 5. If cancer is present the tissue’s Gleason score is determined by adding two patterns of tissue with the most cancer together, this gives a Gleason score between 6 and 10. This scoring helps your doctor determine how aggressive the cancer may be.
Anatomy of Gleason Score
3+4=7
The first number represents the grade with the most present cancer pattern. In this case, there is more grade 3 than grade 4. If the score were 4+3=7, there would be more grade 4 present than grade 3.
The last number is the Gleason sum, which typically ranges from 6-10 when a tumor is present. The higher the score the more likely the cancer will grow and spread quickly.
Reading Your Report
a. Site – Tells which area of the prostate the data was collected from. Letters on the table correspond with the graphic above.
b. Gleason Score – Tells you the pattern of cancer found and which pattern is most present in the tissue.
c. % Pattern 4 – Tells you what percentage of the cancer found (if any) is pattern 4
d. % Involvement – Tells you what percentage of each tissue sample contains cancer.
e. Core Diagram – This diagram represents your tissue core visually. The red section represents the portion of your tissue where tumor was found in.
f. Max Dimension – The max dimension number tells you the length of the tumor in each tissue core.
g. Gross Length – The gross length tells you the full length of each tissue core.