Key points about biopsy to test for childhood cancer
- a doctor may remove part of a tumour for testing if they think it is cancerous
- sometimes the doctor may remove the whole tumour during the procedure
- the type of biopsy your child will have will depend on their specific situation
Biopsy to test for childhood cancer
A surgeon may remove part of a tumour for testing if they think it is cancerous (malignant).
There are 2 ways to do this:
- a small needle through the skin (needle biopsy)
- a small operation (open biopsy)
A radiologist may also do a CT (computerised axial tomography) guided biopsy. In some cases, the doctor may remove the whole tumour during the procedure. A specialist doctor (a histopathologist) will study the sample at the lab. The doctor can tell whether or not it is cancerous and exactly what kind of tumour it is.
The type of biopsy your child will have will depend on their specific clinical circumstances.
Type of anaesthesia used for a biopsy
Some biopsies happen in the operating room under general anaesthesia (completely asleep). Other biopsies happen using local anaesthesia (numbing the skin and tissues).
The type of anaesthesia the doctor uses will depend on where the tumour is in the body and your child's condition.
Getting the biopsy test results
It usually takes a few days to get the results. Sometimes, your child will need specialised tests to look more closely at the tumour tissue. Chromosome analysis or special staining tests can help with the diagnosis.
Acknowledgements
All the pages in the childhood cancer section of this website have been written by health professionals who work in the field of paediatric oncology. They have been reviewed by the members of the National Child Cancer Network (NZ). Medical information is authorised by the clinical leader of the National Child Cancer Network.
