When are biopsies necessary?
If a doctor feels something unusual during a physical examination (palpation), analyzing a sample of tissue can help to find out what it is. Biopsies might also be done to find out more if imaging techniques such as ultrasounds or x-rays show abnormal areas of tissue. Then chronically inflamed tissue can be diagnosed or cancer ruled out, for example. Samples of tissue can be taken from easily accessible parts of the body as well as from many internal organs.
Common biopsies include breast, prostate gland, skin and cervical biopsies. But tissue samples may also be taken to find out more about abnormal tissue in the liver, thyroid, stomach or muscles.