medical diagnostic procedure in which cells or tissues are removed from a patient and examined visually, usually with a microscope. The material for the biopsy may be obtained by several methods and with various instruments, including aspiration through a needle, swabbing with a sponge, scraping with a curette, trephining a bone, or excision with a forceps or electric snare. The biopsy is a standard step in the diagnosis of malignant and benign tumours (tumour) and can also provide a wide range of other types of diagnostic information, particularly in connection with such organs as the liver or pancreas.

Exfoliative cytology and fine-needle aspiration cytology are important adjuncts to biopsy. In exfoliative cytology, cells shed from body surfaces, such as the inside of the mouth or the cervix, are collected and examined. In fine-needle aspiration cytology, cells are collected for examination via a thin needle, which is inserted into specific lesions. Both techniques can be used to confirm the presence of pathologic processes, including infections and neoplastic changes (abnormal growth of new tissue in the form of a tumour). If a neoplasm is identified and treated at an early stage in its growth, a patient's chances of developing cancer later are significantly decreased. An example of the success of these cytological methods is in the sampling of cervicovaginal cells, which has greatly reduced the incidence of invasive cervical carcinoma (cervical cancer).