It is important to describe what is objectively seen; no assumptions should be made based on possible diagnoses. It is also important to recognize the difference between diagnositc terms and descriptive terms.
Below is a table differentiating diagnostic and descriptive terms.
Diagnostic / Interpretive Terms | Descriptive / Objective Terms |
Carcinoma | Mass, lesion |
Hemorrhagic | Red, brown |
Necrotic | Soft, friable (papillary tumors are often mistakenly thought to be necrotic due to their soft consistency) |
Purulent | Green, foul-smelling |
Malignant | Irregular border, hard |
Mucinous | Sticky, viscous |
Invasive | Irregular |
Fat necrosis | Yellow, chalky |
(Recommended by Lester S. in Manual of Surgical Pathology. Ebook: Elsevier Health Sciences; 2010.)