Foot Facts: What is a Biopsy?
October 2003
The word Biopsy is heard often these days. For some people, the word itself can sound threatening and produce fear and concern. A biopsy is simply the taking of some tissue to try to determine if it is normal or abnormal. The tissue is sent to a pathology laboratory and interpreted or “read” by a qualified Pathologist. Podiatrists sometimes need to do biopsies to help determine if a condition is “benign” or “malignant” (cancerous). Although relatively rare, malignant conditions, such as melanoma, are seen in the human foot.
Most of the time biopsies are simple to do and leave little or no scarring, for example, on the skin. There are two types of biopsies that are done on the skin. The first is a shave biopsy that allows a portion of skin to be removed without creating a large skin defect. The second is a punch biopsy that is better for determining the “depth” of a suspected abnormality. The defect left by a punch biopsy sometimes has to be closed with sutures (stitches). Both types of biopsies can be useful in identifying the type and how serious a skin condition may be.
To schedule an appointment with Dr. Ducach, request an appointment online or call Granite Medical at (617) 471-0033.