Why is it necessary? of Biopsy

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Doctors use biopsies to diagnose conditions â€“ to find out exactly what is wrong with you, or to confirm a diagnosis that they already suspect because of other tests. They can also be used measure the severity (seriousness) of your condition. A biopsy allows scientists to look at a sample of your cells under a microscope and carry out tests on the tissue. This canâ€™t be so easily done while the cells are still in your body, especially if the sample is taken from an internal organ like your kidneys.

Examining a tissue sample under a microscope allows scientists to see if your individual cells, the building blocks that make up your body, look normal. In conditions such as cancer, cells look and behave differently.

Chemical tests can also be carried out on the tissue sample. For example, a chemical test is one way to diagnose cystic fibrosis. Scientists carrying out the test will see a certain chemical reaction if the gene (the inherited characteristic) for cystic fibrosis is found in a cell sample. This test can even be carried out on a sample of cells from the placenta of an unborn baby, and may be used to help parents decide whether they wish to terminate or continue a pregnancy.

Biopsies are most often talked about in relation to cancer, although you shouldnâ€™t worry that youâ€™ve got cancer if you have a biopsy, because they are used to diagnose so many conditions. If a person has a lump or a growth in their body, or even on their skin, their doctor canâ€™t tell just by looking or feeling whether the lump is cancerous (malignant) or non-cancerous (benign). Itâ€™s very important to find out, because cancer can spread quickly and can be fatal, so it needs treating quickly. Different treatment is required if the lump is not cancerous.