Lymphadenopathy other diagnostic studies
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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Raviteja Guddeti, M.B.B.S. [2]
Overview
Biopsy
The test is used to diagnose cancer or an infection:
- When the doctor feels swollen glands and they do not go away
- When lymph nodes are present on a CT or MRI scan
- For some patients with breast cancer or melanoma, to see if the cancer has spread (sentinel lymph node biopsy)
Three types of biopsy methods can be used to diagnose swollen lymph nodes. They are:
- Open biopsy - best diagnostic biopsy method, because the tissue taken is intact and will provide finer details about the presence of abnormal cells and structure of the lymph node. Performed under local anesthesia.
- Fine needle aspiration cytology - thin needle is used to take samples from the lymph node. Usually used for recurrent cancers. Lacks information about tissue architecture. False positives are common.
- Core needle biopsy - a specialized needle is used to take a sample of tissue from the lymph node. Provides some detail about architecture. Tissue sample can be used for other special studies.
References