Biopsy is an invasive exam that serves to analyze the health and integrity of various tissues in the body such as skin, lung, muscle, bone, liver, kidney or spleen. The purpose of the biopsy is to observe any change, such as changes in the shape and size of cells, being useful even to identify the presence of cancer cells and other health problems.
When the doctor requests a biopsy it is because there is a suspicion that the tissue has some alteration that cannot be seen in other tests, and therefore, it is necessary to perform the test promptly in order to diagnose the health problem to start the treatment as soon as possible. as possible.
When it may be necessary to perform a biopsy
In most cases, biopsies are necessary when there are suspicions of alterations in the cells, as with suspicions of cancer or when there is a sign or mole on the skin with suspicious characteristics.
When infectious diseases exist, the biopsy can help to identify the agent that is the source of the infection and in the case of autoimmune diseases it can help to identify if there are changes in the internal organs or tissues.
How Biopsy is done
In most cases, biopsies are performed under local anesthesia or with light sedation, and are generally a quick, painless procedure that does not require hospitalization. During this procedure the doctor will collect the material, which will later be analyzed in the laboratory.
In the case of internal biopsies, the procedure is usually guided by images, using techniques such as computed tomography, ultrasound or magnetic resonance, for example, which allow the observation of organs.
In the following days, the location where the biopsy perforation was performed needs to be cleaned and disinfected according to the instructions given by the doctor, and in some cases it may be recommended to take antibiotics that help in healing.
What are the most common biopsies
There are several types of biopsies that can be performed, and some of the most common are:
- Uterus biopsy: serves to identify possible changes in the lining tissue of the uterus that may indicate abnormal growth of the endometrium, uterus infections or cancer, for example; Prostate biopsy: serves to identify possible changes in the prostate; Liver biopsy: serves to diagnose cancer or other lesions of the liver such as cirrhosis or hepatitis B and C; Spinal biopsy: helps in the diagnosis and accompanies the evolution of diseases in the blood such as leukemia and lymphoma. Kidney biopsy: is usually performed when there is protein or blood in the urine, helping to identify kidney problems.
The type of biopsy to be performed depends on the problem to be identified. The biopsy result can be negative or positive and the doctor can always ask for the test to be repeated in order to eliminate the hypothesis of false positive.
In addition to the traditional biopsy, there is also a liquid biopsy, which is a blood test to identify and analyze cancer cells, being in some situations an alternative to the classic biopsy.
