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 diagnostic and descriptive terms.
Table 11. 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 |
4. Lester, S. (2022). Manual of Surgical Pathology. (4th ed.). Elsevier.
