biopsy, medical diagnostic procedure in which cells or tissues are removed from a patient and examined visually, usually

with a microscope. The material for the biopsy may be obtained by several methods and with various instruments, including aspiration through a needle, swabbing with a sponge, scraping with a curette, trephining a bone, or excision with forceps or an electric snare.
Imaging studies such as mammogram and MRI, often along with physical exams of the breast, can lead doctors to suspect

that a person has breast cancer. However, the only way to know for sure is to take a sample of tissue from the suspicious area and examine it under a microscope.

A biopsy is a small operation done to remove tissue from an area of concern in the body. If your doctor feels anything suspicious in your breast, or sees something suspicious on an imaging study, he or she will order a biopsy. The tissue sample is examined by a pathologist (a doctor who specializes in diagnosing disease) to see whether or not cancer cells are present. If cancer is present, the pathologist can then look at the cancers characteristics. The biopsy will result in a report that lays out all of the pathologists findings.

Biopsy is usually a simple procedure. In the United States, only about 20% of women who have biopsies turn out to have cancer. By contrast, in Sweden, where cost accounting is much stricter and only the most suspicious lesions are biopsied, 80% of biopsies turn out to be cancerous (malignant). Biopsy techniques Different techniques can be used to perform biopsy, and its likely that your surgeon will try to use the least invasive procedure possible the one that involves the smallest incision and the least amount of scarring. However, the choice of procedure really depends on your individual situation. Biopsy can be done by placing a needle through the skin into the breast to remove the tissue sample. Or, it can involve a minor surgical procedure, in which the surgeon cuts through the skin to remove some or all of the suspicious tissue. Fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) uses a very thin needle to collect fluid or cells directly from the mass. Usually, the doctor can perform this procedure while feeling the lump to help guide the needle. If a mass was seen on a mammogram, but the lump cannot be felt easily, the doctor may use ultrasound or computer-guided imaging to help locate the mass and guide the position of the needle. Use of computer-guided imaging to locate the mass and help guide the position of the needle is called stereotactic needle biopsy. If this procedure locates fluid, it is an indication that the lump is a cyst. If the procedure locates a solid mass, a biopsy sample of the mass will be removed and sent to a laboratory for further analysis under the microscope. Solid masses can be malignant. Using FNAP, mammography, and a clinical breast exam, a doctor can determine with about 98% accuracy whether a lump is benign or malignant. If, however, there is still doubt, a core needle biopsy may be ordered. Core needle biopsy, which uses a larger needle to remove a small cylinder of tissue from the lump and send it to a laboratory for further analysis under the microscope. Incisional biopsy, which involves surgical removal of just a portion of the mass, which is sent to a laboratory for further analysis under the microscope. Excisional biopsy, which involves surgical removal of the entire mass, which is sent to a laboratory for further analysis under the microscope.

A biopsy is used to help a doctor make a diagnosis. Examples include: Cancer - if the patient has a lump or swelling somewhere in the body with no apparent cause. Often, the only way to determine whether it is cancerous (malignant) or not (benign) is with a biopsy. Peptic ulcer - a biopsy can help a doctor determine whether there is ulceration caused by NSAIDs (non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs). A small bowel biopsy may be used with patients with malabsorption, anemia, or celiac disease. Liver biopsy - can help the doctor diagnose tumors (cancer). It can also help the doctor decide whether the patient is responding well to treatment, for, for example, hepatitis. Infection - a needle biopsy can help doctors identify whether there is an infection, and what type of organism is causing it. Inflammation - by carefully examining the cells in, for example, a needle biopsy, the doctor may be able to determine what is causing it. Transplanted organs - biopsies of transplanted organs are sometimes done to determine whether the body is rejecting it, or whether diseases that made a transplant necessary in the first place have come back.