What to do with the biopsy specimen--practice in an oncology setting.

The technique of image-guided biopsy using either fluoroscopy, ultrasound or computerized tomography (CT) has become well established in recent years. It is. now routine practice in most radiology departments having been shown to have an accuracy of greater than 90–95% (Gazelle & Haaga, 1989; Jennings et al, 1989; Charboneau et al, 1990) and using biopsy needles of 18 gauge or smaller, has a complication rate of less than 1% in many series (Welch et al, 1989; Nolsoe et al, 1990). It makes an important impact on clinical management (Jaeger et al, 1990), allowing diagnosis and treatment planning without recourse to more invasive methods. The automated spring-loaded biopsy gun has simplified the procedure (Parker et al, 1989; Bernardino, 1990) producing adequate specimens without crush artefact and with minimal trauma to the patient. While most series have concentrated on the technique of image-guided biopsy, little emphasis has been placed on the importance of optimal preparation of tissue specimens once ob...