BIOPSY: A biopsy is the removal of a small amount of tissue. It is an important way doctors diagnose many different types of cancer refer to tissue which has been removed from a living body for examination, to discover the presence, cause, or extent of a disease.
For small biopsies, such as punch biopsy or a core needle biopsy, the entire specimen is looked under the microscope.
BIOPSY: A biopsy is the removal of a small amount of tissue. It is an important way doctors diagnose many different types of cancer, refers to tissue which has been removed from a living body for an examination, to discover the presence, cause or extent of a disease.
For small biopsies, such as punch biopsy or a core needle biopsy, the entire specimen is looked under the microscope.
TYPES OF BIOPSY: Various types of biopsy can be used to help identify a wide range of health conditions. How a biopsy is carried out will depend on where the tissue sample is being taken.
Punch biopsy: For diagnosing skin conditions using a special instrument to punch a small hole in the skin to obtain a sample
Endoscopic biopsy: A type of biopsy where an endoscope (a tube with a camera at the end) is used to remove tissue, such as from the stomach during an endoscopy (a diagnostic procedure to look inside the stomach upper gastrointestinal tract)
Fine needle aspiration: A type of biopsy using a needle and syringe to obtain a sample of cells
Specimen:
The tissue sample removed during a biopsy is called a specimen. The medical staff who perform biopsy place the specimen in a container with a fluid that preserves it. The container is labeled with the patient’s name and other details.
Gross Examination:
After the specimen is taken to the laboratory a pathologist describes how it looks, including the color, size and other features. This is called a gross or microscopic examination.
Making a Slide:
Before further examination with a microscope, the pathologist or a technician prepares a slide. During this process, the specimen is cut into thin slices, called histologic sections, and stained with various dyes. These dyes show part of the cells. The pathologist or technician places the section on a glass slide and cover the slip on top to hold the specimen in place. The pathologist then views the section under a microscope. Following are the types of slides:
- Smear
- Permanent section
- Frozen section