Orthopaedic Oncology
Needle Biopsies
After bone and soft tissue diagnostic imaging, your orthopaedic oncologist will have a lot of information about your tumor in terms of where and how it is growing. But the most essential piece for the diagnosis is understanding the exact type of cancer: cancer cells, how fast they are growing, and what treatment they may respond to best. In order to get this information, your doctor may order a biopsy.
All bone and soft tissue tumor diagnoses are based on clinical history, physical exam, imaging studies and biopsies, so this is potentially the last step in your diagnostic process.
Minimally Invasive Needle Biopsies
In the past, in order to gain a sample of a tumor, your surgeon may have needed to perform surgery, with a long incision to gain access to the tumor. Now, with the pioneering efforts of the orthopaedic oncologists at Wake Forest, doctors can obtain samples of bone and soft tissue tumors with needle biopsies.
Needle Biopsies in Clinic for Fast Diagnosis
At the Comprehensive Cancer Center, our capabilities in needle biopsy extend to performing the biopsies in clinic to reach a diagnosis quickly and efficiently with minimal pain and risk of spreading tumor cells. Wake Forest was one of the pioneer institutions with needle diagnosis for musculoskeletal tumors, and we have the experience and expertise to perform these minimally invasive procedures.