Diagnostic Biopsy

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• QWhat is a breast biopsy?

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  A TriStar StoneCrest Medical Center answered

  A breast biopsy is a procedure in which your doctor will numb the skin over an area of your breast where there is a lump or abnormal finding on mammogram or ultrasound. He or she will make a small cut and pass a needle into the breast tissue to obtain a sample of tissue to test for malignancy.

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• QWhat changes to my breast should I expect after a breast biopsy?

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  A TriStar StoneCrest Medical Center answered

  After a breast biopsy you may notice a hard lump, soreness and bruising. This should go away over the course of one to two weeks. If the bruising is spreading or you develop significant pain or redness around the site, notify your doctor.

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• QHow is a breast biopsy performed?

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  A Dr. Preya Ananthakrishnan, MD , Surgery, answered on behalf of Columbia University Department of Surgery

  A doctor can usually perform a needle biopsy in the office. A local anesthetic is injected into the breast, and light suction is applied through a hollow needle inserted into the lump to remove a sample of tissue or aspirate fluid. Disappearance of the lump after fluid is withdrawn usually indicates a benign cyst. Nevertheless, the fluid may be sent to a laboratory for analysis.

  If no abnormal cells are found, no further tests are required. In some cases, a surgical excision may be necessary. This procedure entails removal of the lump and small amounts of surrounding tissues for laboratory analysis. A surgical biopsy usually is done in a hospital (often as out-patient surgery) using either local or general anesthesia. About 80 percent of biopsies show no cancerous cells.

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• QWhat happens to a child before a bone marrow biopsy?

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  A Methodist Hospital answered

  Typically, before a bone marrow test, doctors counsel parents about the reason for, the risks of, and the aftermath of the procedure.

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• QWhat happens after a bone marrow biopsy?

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  A Aurora Health Care answered

  After a bone marrow biopsy (a procedure that uses a special needle to get a sample of bone and bone marrow for testing):

  • If you were given sedation medication, you should not drive, operate heavy or potentially harmful equipment, make important legal decisions, or drink alcohol for 24 hours.
  • You should avoid heavy lifting or straining for 48 hours.
  • Leave the bandage on until the next morning or longer, as instructed by your doctor.
  • You should change your Band-Aid daily until your site is completely healed (clean and dry).
  • If you have Steri-Strips (long, skinny bandage) over your biopsy site, do not remove them. Let them fall off on their own.
  • You may take a shower the day after your biopsy if the bandage is clean and dry.
  • You may take a bath starting 48 hours after your biopsy.
  • The results of your biopsy may take 10 to 14 days and will be discussed at your next doctor's visit.
• QWhy would a child need a bone marrow biopsy?

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  A Intermountain Registered Dietitians , Nutrition & Dietetics, answered on behalf of Intermountain Healthcare

  Your child may need a bone marrow biopsy if your doctor needs different information than what can be found through blood tests. Looking at the bone marrow can help your doctor diagnose different diseases. Your doctor can also find out how far a disease has progressed and how effective treatments have been.

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• QWhat procedures are used to test bone marrow for diseases?

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  A Intermountain Healthcare answered

  For a bone marrow aspirate, the doctor places a needle into the bone marrow and pulls out a small amount of bone marrow fluid with a syringe.

  For a bone marrow biopsy, the doctor places a larger needle in the same place to get a small piece of bone marrow. It is removed and examined.

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• QHow is a biopsy used to detect prostate cancer?

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  A Dr. Michael S. McGuire, MD , Urology, answered on behalf of NorthShore University HealthSystem

  A prostate biopsy is performed to see if cancer is present in the prostate gland. There's a 1 percent risk of infection after a prostate biopsy. As bacteria become more drug resistant, the risk of infection increases, although we have not had this problem at this institution. We use local anesthesia during the procedure, but postoperatively there’s some pain and there’s a risk of bleeding. There was a study published in Canada that reported a 1 percent lethality associated with prostate biopsy. We’re collecting data to contradict that study because we have never seen anything like that.

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• QWhy might I need a prostate biopsy?

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  A Dr. Daniel R. Spogen, MD , Family Medicine, answered on behalf of Univ. of Nev. School of Medicine, Family Medicine

  You might need a prostate biopsy if your doctor feels a nodule during a prostate exam, which can be a sign of cancer. Additionally, if your doctor performs a screening blood test for prostate cancer and the results are elevated enough, it might prompt a prostate biopsy.

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• QWhat should I expect after a core needle biopsy of my breast?

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  A Aurora Health Care answered

  After your core needle biopsy (a way to take a tissue sample from the breast to test and see if it is cancerous) the nurse will clean the biopsy site and apply a special dressing. The nurse will then give you an ice pack to place inside your bra.
  
  The doctor or nurse will contact you with your biopsy results approximately 24 to 48 hours (one to two working days) after the procedure.