Two pathological examination methods for diagnosing bone cancer

The definitive diagnosis of bone cancer must be based on a combination of clinical, imaging, and pathological examinations, and the auxiliary significance of biochemical tests cannot be ignored. Pathological histological examination is a reliable method for the final diagnosis of bone cancer, which can be divided into two types: incisional biopsy and puncture biopsy.

1. Incisional biopsy

Incisional biopsy can be divided into two types: incisional and excisional. As the name implies, incisional refers to the removal of a part of the tumor, while excisional refers to the complete removal of the tumor. Incisional biopsy destroys the original surrounding zone and soft tissue compartment of the tumor, and the scope of tumor contamination can be expanded during tissue separation. Therefore, for small tumors, it is best to choose excisional biopsy.

2. Biopsy

Puncture biopsy refers to closed puncture biopsy using a needle or trocar, and is mostly used for osteolytic lesions of the spine and limbs. Puncture biopsy has the advantages of convenient surgical method, less obvious hematoma, tumor cells are not easy to fall off and spread, and pathological fractures are avoided, and is widely used in clinical practice.

In addition, frozen section examination is a rapid method for obtaining pathological diagnosis immediately during surgery. When there is a conflict between the frozen results and the preoperative diagnosis, special attention should be paid to studying them in conjunction with clinical symptoms and imaging results, and, if necessary, waiting for paraffin sections to make the final diagnosis.