Important: This page is general information, not medical advice. It does not recommend or prescribe any treatment. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.
About Biopsy
A biopsy is a procedure that removes cells or tissue from your body. A doctor called a pathologist looks at the cells or tissue under a microscope to check for damage or disease. The pathologist may also do other tests on it.
Biopsies can be done on all parts of the body. In most cases, a biopsy is the only test that can tell for sure if a suspicious area is cancer. But biopsies are performed for many other reasons too.
There are different types of biopsies. A needle biopsy removes tissue with a needle passed through your skin to the site of the problem. Other kinds of biopsies may require surgery.
It sits within Cancers and Diagnostic Tests.
When to speak to someone. Reading about a topic cannot tell you whether it applies to you. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if symptoms are severe, sudden, getting worse, or simply not going away — and seek emergency care immediately for chest pain, breathing difficulty, sudden weakness or confusion, or a serious allergic reaction.
Research on Biopsy
3,093 studies areregistered for this condition on ClinicalTrials.gov, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's public registry. A selection is below — the links go straight to the registry entry, not to a summary of ours.
What a registered study does and does not mean. Registration means a study exists and has been declared publicly. It says nothing about whether the treatment being tested works, is safe, or is available to you. Many studies find no benefit — that is what research is for. Never seek out an experimental treatment on the strength of a registry entry alone.
Research currently under way
- Hepatic Lipid Metabolism-Alcohol Use DisorderNational Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
- Liver Biopsy Following Gene Therapy For HemophiliaSt. Jude Children's Research Hospital
- Augsburg Longitudinal Plasma Study for the Evaluation of Liquid Biopsy as Diagnostic Tool.University Hospital Augsburg
- Study to Evaluate the Impact of Iptacopan on Top of SOC on Biopsy Changes in Kidneys of Adult Patients With IgANNovartis Pharmaceuticals
- PROstate Cancer Risk Calculator for ACTionable Clinical Decision-making in NigeriaAhmadu Bello University
- Imaging and Biopsy of People With HIV-1 Undergoing Analytic Treatment InterruptionNational Cancer Institute (NCI)
Research already completed
- Thyroid Fine Needle Biopsy and Impact on Pain and Diagnostic AdequacyIzmir Ataturk Training and Research Hospital
- Transformation of Plexiform Neurofibromas to Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumors in Neurofibromatosis Type 1National Cancer Institute (NCI)
- Mechanisms of Diabetic Kidney Disease in American IndiansNational Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
- The Acquisition of Blood and Skin Samples From Normal Volunteers to Support Research Activities on Dermatologic DiseasesNational Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)
- Searching for Persistence of Infection in Lyme DiseaseNational Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
- Pathogenesis of GlomerulosclerosisNational Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
Study data from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2026-07-30. Registry entries are supplied by study sponsors and investigators; ClinicalTrials.gov does not verify their scientific validity. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH.
Where to read more
Rather than paraphrase, we point you to the primary sources. Every link below is to a government health agency, a national institute or a recognised medical body — grouped by what you are trying to find out.
Start Here
- Biopsies - OverviewRadiological Society of North America
- Biopsy and Cytology TestsAmerican Cancer Society
- Biopsy: Types of Biopsy Procedures Used to Diagnose CancerMayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
Medical subject headings
Clinicians and researchers index this subject under Biopsy. These are the terms to use when searching medical literature.
This page is built from the MedlinePlus health topic record for Biopsy, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health. Information is from MedlinePlus.gov. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH. Retrieved 30 July 2026.