“How long to get the biopsy results?”
This is one of the most frequently asked questions in the initial phase of the disease.
As the patient realizes that the biopsy is one of the key examinations, waiting for the result can be agonizing. However, once the biopsy has been performed, it takes time before the result becomes available.
Indeed, the pathologist has to work on the sample and prepare a number of microscope slides, which are then analyzed under the microscope; each of these steps costs time and money. Moreover, only a few of the many available tests are initially conducted on the biopsy material.
The pathologist will begin by carrying out those that are most logical according to the clinical information provided by the doctor who has taken the biopsy (and therefore according to the clinical suspicion); if these are unable to clarify all doubts, further tests will need to be carried out on the samples. The time needed to analyze the biopsy material is often a source of frustration for those who are waiting for the result.
In some cases, in addition to establishing the diagnosis, biopsy is necessary in order to guide the choice of therapy.
Indeed, the huge progress made by biology in recent years now enables some tumors to be classified not only according to their appearance under the microscope, but also according to specific molecular alterations – i.e., tiny changes in the DNA inside the cells. This new knowledge has, in turn, promoted the development of new specific therapies for tumors that display those specific molecular alterations. However, in order to detect these molecular alterations in biopsy samples, it is necessary to carry out much more complex and costly tests than the standard tests mentioned above.
All of this means that, when the biopsy has finally provided an answer as to the type of tumor, it is often necessary to conduct a new series of tests in order to see if there are molecular alterations or not. Consequently, the waiting time is prolonged and the patient’s anxiety grows. However, waiting for the results of these tests, whenever they are deemed necessary, is absolutely in the interest of the patient.