In most types of cancer, abnormal tissue needs to be examined to establish a diagnosis. The tissue sample is then sent to a laboratory for microscopic examination. The procedure used is called a biopsy and can be performed under local or general anesthesia.
Various surgical instruments can be used, depending on the affected part of the body. Often, a biopsy is performed using a thin needle, guided by an ultrasound machine, X-rays, or CT scan.
A biopsy is sometimes done in the doctor’s office, but it can also be performed in an operating room in the hospital as a day surgery.
All these procedures are painless! Go with confidence to Dr. Nicolae Bacalbașa to benefit from an oncologic biopsy, performed under the safest conditions, to learn more about the discovered condition! With the help of such an intervention, you can receive personalized treatment tailored to the characteristics of the cancer you are experiencing!
Needle Biopsies
There are several types of needle biopsies: fine needle biopsy, core needle biopsy, vacuum-assisted biopsy, and image-guided biopsy (a combination of imaging and needle biopsy). All of these are performed using a local anesthetic to numb the area to be examined.
Endoscopic Biopsy
In this type of biopsy, a thin, flexible tube called an endoscope is used to view the structures inside the organ. The sampling tools are passed through the tube. This type of biopsy can be performed through the mouth, rectum, urinary tract, or through a small incision in the skin, depending on the location of the cancer-affected area.
Skin Biopsy
This type of biopsy is used to diagnose skin conditions. A small portion of the affected skin is removed for examination.
Bone Marrow Biopsy
This type of biopsy is useful for diagnosing blood disorders, both cancerous and non-cancerous. A bone marrow biopsy can detect conditions such as leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma. During this biopsy, a sample of bone marrow is extracted from the hip bone using a long needle. In certain situations, the sample may be collected from other bones in the body. It is performed with the use of local anesthesia.
Surgical Biopsy
This option is recommended when other types of biopsies cannot access the detected tumors. It may also be considered when the results of another biopsy are inconclusive. During a surgical biopsy, an incision is made in the skin to access the suspicious area. Examples of surgical biopsy procedures include surgery to remove a breast lump for a possible breast cancer diagnosis and surgery to remove a lymph node for a possible lymphoma diagnosis.