Info
Biopsy
Taking a small sample of tissue or cells to be examined under the microscope. It is the only method that can confirm with certainty that cancer is present.
What it means
Taking a small sample of tissue or cells from the body to be examined under the microscope. It is the main method of confirming the diagnosis in oncology. The procedure is usually done under local anaesthetic and takes only a short time.
In short
Taking a small sample of tissue or cells to be examined under the microscope. It is the only method that can confirm with certainty that cancer is present.
Where you will see it
Recommended after a suspicious ultrasound, CT or MRI scan. The result comes as a pathology or histopathology report.
What it does not tell you on its own
A biopsy confirms or rules out the presence of cancer cells, but it does not establish the stage of the disease, the type of treatment or the prognosis. These come from combining it with other investigations.
Questions for your doctor
- What type of biopsy will be done in my case?
- How long until I get the result?
- What does the biopsy show about the type of cancer?
- What investigations come after the biopsy?
Related terms
The terms below often appear alongside this one. Each definition is right here, so you do not have to look elsewhere.
- Histopathology
- The examination under the microscope of tissue taken by biopsy or surgery. The histopathology report describes the type of cells, the tumor grade and other details that help establish the diagnosis and treatment.
- Immunohistochemistry
- A laboratory technique that uses antibodies to detect specific proteins in tumor cells. It helps establish the exact type of cancer and choose the right treatment, especially in breast, colon and lung cancers.
- TNM (staging system)
- The international system for classifying cancer according to three dimensions: T = the size of the primary tumor, N = the involvement of the lymph nodes, M = the presence of metastases. It is the basis for stages I–IV and determines the treatment plan.
Other terms in “Diagnosis”
Glossary definitions are written for patients by the OncoDots team and go through internal medical review. They explain terms; they do not establish a diagnosis and do not recommend a treatment.