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Medicine vocabulary · Diagnosis and Tests

Biopsy

Meaning in medicine, with examples

/ˈbaɪɑːpsi/nounCommon term

In medicine, biopsy means: The removal of a small piece of tissue from the body so that it can be examined under a microscope, often to check for cancer.

In Turkish: biyopsi

How it is used

Doctors take or perform a biopsy, send it to the lab and wait for the histology. Types include needle, skin and endoscopic biopsy. It is also a verb: 'The lesion was biopsied.'

Example sentences

  1. We took a biopsy during the endoscopy, and the results will take about a week.

  2. The biopsy confirmed a benign lesion.

Common collocations

  • take a biopsy
  • needle biopsy
  • biopsy results
  • skin biopsy
  • tumorAn abnormal lump or mass of tissue that forms when cells divide more than they should; it can be benign or malignant.
  • benignNot cancer and not spreading to other parts of the body; also used for any condition that is not dangerous.
  • malignantCancerous, and able to grow into nearby tissue and spread to other parts of the body; also used for conditions that are very dangerous.
  • ultrasoundA scan that uses high-frequency sound waves to make live pictures of organs, blood vessels or a baby in the womb, without using radiation.
  • diagnosisThe decision about which disease or condition is causing a patient's problems, reached after taking a history, examining the patient and doing tests.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Diagnosis and Tests

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.