Lymph Node Biopsy
Excisional Lymph Node Biopsy
Excisional biopsy (entire lymph node removed) is recommended to establish the diagnosis of NHL1
- Adequate tissue volume is essential1
- Note: Core needle biopsy (large bore needle removes a core of lymph node tissue) is not recommended unless there is no other way to obtain the necessary diagnostic tissue1
- The role of fine needle biopsy in the diagnosis of lymphoma is controversial; when used alone, there is often inadequate tissue for diagnostic tests1
Rationale for Tissue Biopsy
Complete and accurate differential diagnosis of FL and other NHL subtypes requires characterization of tumor morphology and molecular characteristics of the tumor cells.1 Biopsy tissue can be used for the following tests:
- Morphologic evaluation by a pathologist
- Molecular characterization of FL tissue
When to perform tissue biopsy
- Initial diangosis1
- Potentially at recurrence/relapse2
Bone Marrow Biopsy
Bone marrow aspiration and biopsy may be used to determine if there is bone marrow involvement in a patient1
- Bone marrow biopsy plus aspiration should be performed at diagnosis and is essential to document clinical stage I-II FL1
- If a patient has a low-burden indolent NHL that will undergo observation, bone marrow evaluation may be deferred1
Bone marrow involvement occurs in 70% of FL cases.3