Biopsy News and Research

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Biopsy is the removal of cells or tissues for examination by a pathologist. The pathologist may study the tissue under a microscope or perform other tests on the cells or tissue. There are many different types of biopsy procedures. The most common types include: (1) incisional biopsy, in which only a sample of tissue is removed; (2) excisional biopsy, in which an entire lump or suspicious area is removed; and (3) needle biopsy, in which a sample of tissue or fluid is removed with a needle. When a wide needle is used, the procedure is called a core biopsy. When a thin needle is used, the procedure is called a fine-needle aspiration biopsy.

Sentinel node biopsy, when performed before chemotherapy to shrink the tumor, is very reliable

New breast cancer research shows for the first time that even women with large breast tumors can benefit from a less invasive biopsy method that has been reserved until now for women with small breast cancers.

23 Aug 2005

Non-invasive imaging may help predict type 1 diabetes and response to treatment in humans

A key obstacle to early detection of type 1 diabetes - as well as to rapid assessment of the effectiveness of therapeutic intervention - has been the lack of direct, non-invasive technologies to visualize inflammation in the pancreas, an early manifestation of disease.

22 Aug 2005

New skin from fetal cells great success in children with burns

Swiss researchers have used skin constructed from fetal skin cells to treat eight children with burns.

21 Aug 2005

Activated Stat5 protein in prostate cancer can predict outcome, may help target treatment

Researchers from Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at Georgetown University found that testing for an activated Stat5 protein in prostate tumor tissue effectively predicts which men have a form of prostate cancer that may become more aggressive and life threatening.

15 Aug 2005

Plasma exchange treatment shown most helpful for severe attacks in subtype of MS patients

A Mayo Clinic study demonstrates that only those multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with evidence for antibody deposition or complement activation -- immune cells that can cause tissue destruction -- in their lesions are likely to respond to plasma exchange, a treatment for acute MS attacks.

11 Aug 2005

Introgen announces additional broad patent in China

Introgen Therapeutics has announced that a patent with broad claims directed to combination therapy with the p53 gene and conventional chemotherapy or radiation was issued in China.

11 Aug 2005

Lifestyle changes may affect the progression of any type of cancer

Men with early stage prostate cancer who make intensive changes in diet and lifestyle may stop or perhaps even reverse the progression of their illness, according to a new study.

11 Aug 2005

New prostate cancer test could save thousands from unnecessary surgery

Doctors at present lack a test that can distinguish fast-developing tumours that need urgent attention from slow-growing ones that are not a threat and need only watching, and as a result many men have operations that can leave them impotent and incontinent for prostate tumours that would never have killed them.

10 Aug 2005

Melanoma is being overdiagnosed

New research published online by the British Medical Journal (BMJ) today (Thursday 4 August 2005) suggests that melanoma is being overdiagnosed in the United States.

3 Aug 2005

Lowering the current PSA threshold for recommending a prostate biopsy may subject millions of men to unnecessary, potentially harmful medical procedures

Lowering the current prostate-specific antigen (PSA) threshold for recommending a prostate biopsy may subject millions of men to unnecessary, potentially harmful medical procedures with no evidence that it will improve prostate cancer mortality rates, according to a new study in the August 3 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

2 Aug 2005

Adding spectroscopy to breast MR examinations may improve the efficiency and quality of patient care

Measuring the biochemical changes in breast tumors with magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopy enables radiologists to more accurately distinguish benign tumors from cancerous ones, according to a study appearing in the August issue of the journal Radiology.

26 Jul 2005

Rates of breast biopsy remained stable over a 12 year period even as mammogram use increased

Rates of breast biopsy (removal of tissue for diagnostic evaluation) remained stable over a 12 year period even as mammogram use increased and new and less invasive biopsy techniques were introduced, according to a study in the July 25 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

25 Jul 2005

Percutaneous core-needle biopsy, provides samples of tissue suitable for accurate initial diagnosis of a solid tumor

Inserting biopsy needles through the skin appears to be a safe and reliable alternative to surgery for obtaining diagnostic samples of a suspected solid tumor in children, according to results of a study by investigators at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

25 Jul 2005

Women with benign breast disease have a higher risk for breast cancer

A study led by Mayo Clinic Cancer Center adds evidence to a growing body of knowledge that shows women with benign breast disease have a higher risk for breast cancer, and that certain types of breast disease may predict the near-term development of breast cancer. The findings will be published in the July 21 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.

20 Jul 2005

No single PSA level ensures safety from prostate cancer risk

Ian M. Thompson Jr., M.D., professor and chair of urology at the U T Health Science Center, is looking for a better test - or set of tests - to diagnose prostate cancer and to distinguish between cancers that will kill men if left untreated and those that will not threaten health and do not need treatment.

19 Jul 2005

Asian American and Pacific Island women less likely to receive breast-conserving surgery

Asian American and Pacific Island women, particularly those born abroad, are less likely to receive breast-conserving surgery for early-stage breast cancer than non-Hispanic white women, according to a study published in the online Journal of General Internal Medicine.

17 Jul 2005

Researchers identify six genes associated with lymphocytic bronchitis - could mean new test, treatments

Researchers at the San Francisco VA Medical Center (SFVAMC) and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) have identified six genes associated with lymphocytic bronchitis, which is thought to lead to obliterative bronchitis (OB), the most common cause of long-term failure of transplanted lungs.

13 Jul 2005

Accuracy of PSA screening for detecting prostate cancer

A new study indicates there is no specific PSA value that has both high sensitivity and high specificity for monitoring healthy men for prostate cancer, but rather there is a continuum of prostate cancer risk at all values of PSA, according to a study in the July 6 issue of JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association.

6 Jul 2005

Scientists successfully isolate stem cells from human skin

Scientists at Wake Forest University School of Medicine have successfully isolated stem cells from human skin, expanded them in the laboratory and coaxed them into becoming fat, muscle and bone cells.

27 Jun 2005

Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is an effective, longlasting treatment for small kidney tumors in selected patients

Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers have shown that radiofrequency ablation (RFA) - a minimally invasive way of destroying tissue - is an effective, longlasting treatment for small kidney tumors in selected patients.

20 Jun 2005

Biopsy News and Research

Further Reading

Sentinel node biopsy, when performed before chemotherapy to shrink the tumor, is very reliable

Non-invasive imaging may help predict type 1 diabetes and response to treatment in humans

New skin from fetal cells great success in children with burns

Activated Stat5 protein in prostate cancer can predict outcome, may help target treatment

Plasma exchange treatment shown most helpful for severe attacks in subtype of MS patients

Introgen announces additional broad patent in China

Lifestyle changes may affect the progression of any type of cancer

New prostate cancer test could save thousands from unnecessary surgery

Melanoma is being overdiagnosed

Lowering the current PSA threshold for recommending a prostate biopsy may subject millions of men to unnecessary, potentially harmful medical procedures

Adding spectroscopy to breast MR examinations may improve the efficiency and quality of patient care

Rates of breast biopsy remained stable over a 12 year period even as mammogram use increased

Percutaneous core-needle biopsy, provides samples of tissue suitable for accurate initial diagnosis of a solid tumor

Women with benign breast disease have a higher risk for breast cancer

No single PSA level ensures safety from prostate cancer risk

Asian American and Pacific Island women less likely to receive breast-conserving surgery

Researchers identify six genes associated with lymphocytic bronchitis - could mean new test, treatments

Accuracy of PSA screening for detecting prostate cancer

Scientists successfully isolate stem cells from human skin

Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is an effective, longlasting treatment for small kidney tumors in selected patients

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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