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A biopsy (in Greek: bios = life and opsy = look/appearance) is a medical test involving the removal of cells or tissues for examination. The tissue is often examined under a microscope and can also be analyzed chemically (for example, using PCR techniques). When only a sample of tissue is removed, the procedure is called an incisional biopsy or core biopsy. When an entire lump or suspicious area is removed, the procedure is called an excisional biopsy. When a sample of tissue or fluid is removed with a needle, the procedure is called a needle aspiration biopsy.
Biopsy specimens are often taken from part of a lesion when the cause of a disease is uncertain or its extent or exact character is in doubt. Vasculitis, for instance, is usually diagnosed on biopsy. Additionally, pathologic examination of a biopsy can determine whether a lesion is benign or malignant, and can help differentiate between different types of cancer. In contrast to a biopsy that merely samples a lesion, a larger excisional specimen called a resection may come to a pathologist, typically from a surgeon attempting to eradicate a known lesion from a patient. For example, a pathologist would examine a mastectomy specimen, even if a previous nonexcisional breast biopsy had already established the diagnosis of breast cancer. Examination of the full mastectomy specimen would confirm the exact nature of the cancer (subclassification of tumor and histologic "grading") and reveal the extent of its spread (pathologic "staging").
The margins of a biopsy specimen are also carefully examined to see if the disease may have spread beyond the area biopsied. "Clear margins," or "negative margins," means that no disease was found at the edges of the biopsy specimen. "Positive margins" means that disease was found, and additional treatment will be needed.
Cancer and Biopsy in Nature Cure
According to some practioners of Nature Cure, biopsy is not a desirable one even as a test to find out whether a tumour is a benign or malignant one. According to them, a tumour is nothing but poisons which are securely locked up by the defence mechanism of the living body inside a thick membrane in order to protect the body from further deterioration. During biopsy the thick membrane is cut open, thus releasing the poisonous cancer cells throught the rest of the body. But in the earlier condition prior to the biopsy, encased as the tumour was inside a tick membrane, such outflow of poision would not have been possible.
K. Lakshmana Sarma and S. Swaminathan, two of the foremost Nature Cure practitioners in India, quote approvingly in their well known work an extract from the book How to Prevent and Gain Remission from Cancer authored by John H Tobe: "The only conclusive way to establish whether or not malignant tissue is present is by biopsy. However, biopsy requires cutting into the tumour which may result in releasing cancer cells throughtout the body. For that reason we do not take a biopsy or conduct any surgical procedure.." .
See also
Notes
- K. Lakshmana Sarma & S. Swaminathan : Speaking of Nature Cure - Regain, Retain and Improve Health the Drugless Way: Page 200-203 : First edition: 1993, Thrid reprint: 1998 (Sterling Paperbacks, New Delhi) ISBN 8120706323
- Ibid. Page 201
External links
- RadiologyInfo - The radiology information resource for patients: Biopsy