Tubular adenoma
A conventional adenomatous polyp. It is a precancerous type of polyp, meaning some can progress toward cancer over time if not removed. Finding an adenoma does not mean you have cancer.
Pathology report explainer
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Pathology glossary
Tubulovillous / villous features
Describes the microscopic growth pattern of an adenoma. Villous features can affect how clinicians think about future risk and follow-up, together with size, number, removal completeness, and exam quality.
Sessile serrated lesion (SSL)
A serrated-type precancerous lesion, often flat and sometimes found in the right colon. Size, dysplasia, number, and complete removal matter for follow-up planning.
Traditional serrated adenoma
A less common serrated precancerous polyp. It is different from a typical hyperplastic polyp and generally matters for surveillance planning.
Hyperplastic polyp
A common serrated polyp type. Many small hyperplastic polyps—particularly in the rectum or sigmoid—have very low malignant potential, but location, size, number, and diagnostic certainty matter.
Low-grade dysplasia
Abnormal cell changes that are commonly part of a precancerous polyp. It is not the same as invasive cancer.
High-grade dysplasia
More advanced abnormal cellular change within a lesion. It is an important precancerous finding, but the term by itself is not the same as invasive adenocarcinoma.
Negative for high-grade dysplasia
The pathologist did not identify high-grade dysplasia in the submitted tissue. This statement applies to the tissue examined; it does not by itself establish your future colonoscopy interval.
Negative for malignancy
No cancer was identified in the submitted specimen. That is reassuring for that tissue sample, but the overall clinical interpretation still belongs with the treating team.
Adenocarcinoma
A gland-forming cancer, which is the most common type of colorectal cancer. If this term appears as a diagnosis in your pathology report, contact the treating clinician promptly for the full interpretation and next steps.
Margin / resection margin
The edge of removed tissue. A pathologist may comment on whether a lesion reaches an edge. Margin interpretation depends heavily on how the lesion was removed and whether the specimen was intact or fragmented.
Piecemeal / fragmented specimen
The lesion or specimen was removed or received in pieces rather than one intact piece. This can make margin assessment more difficult and can affect follow-up decisions for some larger lesions.
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Do not infer a surveillance interval from one pathology term. Current U.S. surveillance recommendations use the full colonoscopy context, including number and size of lesions, histology, complete removal, bowel preparation, and exam quality.
Evidence
Primary sources for this page
AGA / USMSTF2020 follow-up after colonoscopy and polypectomyASGEPolyps and their treatment — patient informationACGColon polyps — patient information
Medical content reviewed against these sources on September 5, 2026. External clinician review is still recommended before broad public promotion.