Skin Cancer Biopsy

A skin cancer biopsy is the procedure most commonly performed to evaluate and diagnose lesions of the skin. When a patient presents with a new or changing spot or bump on the surface of the skin, doctors will often recommend a biopsy.

What is a biopsy? A biopsy is a general term for removing a piece of tissue from the body to be analyzed by a pathologist. Most tumors cannot be reliably diagnosed based simply on its appearance. The tissue must be evaluated in more detail. The pathologist can evaluate the tissue for disease and usually make the diagnosis. This is based on microscopic analysis of the tissue, often including specialized staining methods that help to distinguish various types of tissues and disease states from each other.

When a biopsy is performed for skin cancer diagnosis, either a part or all of the skin lesion is removed surgically, depending on its size and location. For small lesions this is often a simple procedure done in a clinic with local anesthetic (lidocaine injection).

Why is a skin cancer biopsy performed? The biopsy is performed to attempt to make a definitive diagnosis of the skin lesion. A skin cancer diagnosis often has different implications for further treatment and the prognosis than other benign lesions of the skin (moles, benign tumors, etc.). Once the diagnosis is known, the doctor can help advise the patient regarding prognosis and any futher treatment that may be recommended.

Because many skin spots and bumps come to medical attention early, when they are still small, the biopsy may completely remove the tumor. If it does turn out to be a form of skin cancer, particularly the less aggressive types like squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma, the biopsy may be all that is needed for treatment as well (skin cancer diagnosis and treatment wrapped into one). Future monitoring for new lesions may be recommended however. In the case of larger, more invasive tumors, particularly those types that are known to spread much more rapidly, like melanoma, further treatment and screening if often required.