biopsy
noun
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Matter examined in a biopsy is always taken from a living organism. Most biopsies are done by using a needle to extract tissue or fluid, but some may instead require cutting, and others may amount to nothing more than swabbing the inside of the patient's cheek. Biopsies are best known as a means of detecting cancer, but a doctor may also take a biopsy of heart muscle to investigate suspected heart disease, for example, or perform a biopsy on a pregnant woman to test for disorders in the fetus.
Examples of biopsy in a Sentence
Andrea Mandell, Peoplemag, 18 Apr. 2024
Definitively diagnosing someone with pancreatic cancer can involve a series of scans, blood tests and biopsies, which are typically performed only once someone has symptoms, which may include jaundice or yellowing of the eyes and skin, weight loss, belly or back pain, or tiredness and weakness.
—Jacqueline Howard, CNN, 8 Apr. 2024
But mammograms have proved to be less effective for those under age 40, as their breast tissue is denser and screening and biopsies can be unpleasant to endure.
—Danielle Whitham, Discover Magazine, 22 Mar. 2024
Guardant’s blood test detects colon cancer — with a catch
Guardant Health, among the leaders in the nascent field of liquid biopsy, said its colorectal cancer screening test succeeded in a large study.
—Damian Garde Reprints, STAT, 14 Mar. 2024
In total, nine were tested through fecal exams, while two underwent liver biopsies, according to the L.A. County Department of Health.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2024
So his team took the biopsies over eight weeks, only to discover that the process continued out to eight weeks and beyond.
—Helen Branswell, STAT, 28 Mar. 2024
For What’s Happening Researchers can analyze the proteins present in a variety of tissues, from biopsies of tumors to biological fluids including blood, saliva, urine, tears or breast milk.
—Danielle Whitham, Discover Magazine, 22 Mar. 2024
These assessment tools consider various factors such as age, race or ethnicity, history of past breast biopsies, and familial breast cancer history.
—Kristina Behr, Parents, 15 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'biopsy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near biopsy
Cite this Entry
“Biopsy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/biopsy. Accessed 3 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
biopsy
noun
Medical Definition
biopsy
1 of 2 noun
biopsy
2 of 2 transitive verb
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