YOUR CANCER, YOUR LIFE - ASPIRATION CYTOLOGY/NEEDLE BIOPSY (PART 1)


        YOUR CANCER, YOUR LIFE - ASPIRATION CYTOLOGY/NEEDLE BIOPSY (PART 1)
'Aspiration' means sucking up. Cytology, as you know, means the study of cells. We all know what needles are! Biopsy literally just means getting a specimen from a live person. The above terms are used to describe getting a specimen from a suspicious area with a needle. With aspiration cytology, a very fine needle is used and the specimen consists of separate or very small groups of cells. With a needle biopsy, a special type of slightly larger needle is used and a tiny solid sliver of tissue is obtained. If the lesion is just under the skin, the needle goes through the skin. Sometimes needle specimens are also taken through the vagina or rectum. Local anaesthetic (numbs the area but doesn't put you to sleep) is used and the procedure should be no more painful than a blood test. If the specimen is to be taken from an area that is not an easily felt lump, the test may be carried out under X-ray control, to make sure the right spot is sampled. This applies, for example, in needle biopsies of the lung or some bones.
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