oh, that is true, thanks for adding this. I don't get to see any of what goes on in the histology lab, but I'm definitely gonna dig into that article to learn more c:

surgical tech here. I can't tell you about the color of individual cells nor how they are stained by pathology, but I can describe what the specimens look like as soon as they come out of the patient.

normal vocal cords are shiny, whitish-yellow, and have clearly vertical capillaries.

squamous cell carcinoma, when it grows on them, is flat and white with an uneven surface. you can usually see thinner patches around the mass where the normal vessel pattern turns pebbly or foggy.

normal brain tissue is pink and has large, obvious vessels all over the surface like a cartoon. the dura is white, smooth, and normally does not adhere to the brain at all. it can stick to the skull a little but is easily freed.

the brain tumor itself looks and feels exactly like uncooked tofu. it's soft, spongy, white, saturated, and falls apart easily. Larger brain tumors can compress surrounding healthy tissue until it dies, so many times the tumor is surrounded by watery greenish-yellow or brown-tinged CSF. if the tumor is near the dura, sometimes it can grow through it and stick to the inside of the skull.

meningioma, glioma, and pituitary tumors all look similar to me, but maybe someone more experienced could tell you the subtle differences better.

normal muscle has gorgeous bands of silvery fascia over rich maroon. it makes you think, "just like in the textbook!" Myoma (muscle tumor) is matte, uniform, and featureless. spongy and firm to the touch but doesn't fall apart when you squeeze it. like a chicken tender without the skin. I've seen one from a thigh that was terra-cotta colored, and the ones that grow in the uterine wall (fibroids) are the same texture but off-white, kinda yellow.

that's about the extent to which I can speak from my experience! Cancer is more obvious to identify by touch than by color.

tl;dr: Usually white.