Tumor Biopsy: Things To Know!

A procedure done to remove a piece of tissue from your body so that it can be analyzed in a laboratory is termed as 'biopsy'.

A biopsy is done to determine whether you have cancer or some other condition. They help to differentiate cancerous cells from noncancerous cells.

It is performed by a surgeon, interventional radiologist, or an interventional cardiologist.

Types of biopsy procedures

1. Bone Marrow biopsy.
2. Bone marrow is the spongy material inside some of your larger bones where blood cells are produced.
3. This biopsy is done if the doctor suspects cancer to have originated in or travelled to your bone marrow.
4. Bone marrow biopsy is done to diagnose leukemia, lymphoma and multiple myeloma.
5. A bone marrow biopsy detects cancers that started elsewhere and traveled to the bone marrow.

Endoscopic biopsy

1. During endoscopy, your doctor uses a thin, flexible tube (endoscope) with a light on the end to see structures inside your body. It has a close-focusing telescope on the end for viewing.
2. To analyze cells of a tissue, special tools are passed through the tube.
3. Tubes are inserted through your mouth, rectum, urinary tract or a small incision in your skin.
4. Examples: Cystoscopy to collect tissue from inside your bladder, bronchoscopy to get tissue from inside your lung and colonoscopy to collect tissue from inside your colon.

Needle biopsy

1. During a needle biopsy, the doctor uses a special needle to extract cells from a suspicious area.
2. A needle biopsy is often used on tumors that the doctor can feel through your skin, such as suspicious breast lumps and enlarged lymph nodes.

Needle biopsy procedures include:

1. Fine-needle aspiration
2. Core needle biopsy
3. Vacuum-assisted biopsy

Skin biopsy
A skin (cutaneous) biopsy removes cells from the surface of your body. A skin biopsy is used to diagnose skin conditions, including melanoma and other cancers. The type of skin biopsy to be done depends on the type of cancer suspected.

Skin biopsy procedures include:

1. Shave biopsy- The doctor uses a tool similar to a razor to scrape the surface of your skin.
2. Punch biopsy- The doctor uses a circular tool to remove a small section of your skin's deeper layers.
3. Incisional biopsy- The doctor uses a scalpel to remove a small area of skin.
4. Excisional biopsy- The doctor removes an entire lump

You receive a local anesthetic to numb the biopsy site before the procedure.

Biopsy analysis and results
A biopsy guides the doctor to determine cancer's grade. The grade is sometimes expressed as a number on a scale of 1 to 4 and is determined by how cancer cells look under the microscope.

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