OnCo
termsTerm

Core needle biopsy and fine-needle aspiration (FNA)

aka core biopsy, core needle biopsy, fine-needle aspiration, fine needle aspiration, FNA, image-guided biopsy, CT-guided biopsy, re-biopsy, bone marrow biopsy, bone marrow aspirate, targeted biopsy

Taking a sliver of tissue (core) or a few cells (fine-needle aspiration) through a needle guided by ultrasound, CT or MRI, to diagnose the cancer and test its markers without surgery.

Core biopsy preserves tissue architecture and gives enough material for immunohistochemistry (ER, PR, HER2, PD-L1) and genomic panels, so it is the standard for breast, prostate (MRI-targeted), lung and liver lesions. FNA gives cytology only and suits thyroid nodules (Bethesda system) and lymph nodes. Bone marrow aspirate and trephine biopsy diagnose and monitor leukaemias and myeloma. Re-biopsy at progression identifies resistance mechanisms (T790M, small-cell transformation) when liquid biopsy is uninformative.

Category
Procedures

Connected

9top