On a biopsy report
Well differentiated
Also written as Grade 1, Low grade, Moderately differentiated, Poorly differentiated
What it means
Differentiation describes how much tumour tissue looks like the normal tissue it came from. Well differentiated cancer cells look more like normal cells and tend to grow and spread more slowly than poorly differentiated or undifferentiated cells.
Why it matters
It feeds into the tumour grade, which helps your oncologist plan treatment.
Ask your oncologist
"How differentiated is my tumour, and what does that mean for my plan?"
From NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms: differentiation. Not medical advice: your oncologist decides.