Needle Biopsy - anyone had one?

[Prashant]

My doc recommended a needle biopsy pre surgery so that he can know exactly what the tumor is before the surgery. Just wanted to know if any of you have had it and if theres any info that you would like to share.
my tumor is on my left foot - first metatarsal and xrays show that it has not grown from the initial (under 2cm) size in the last 1 month.

[susan]

hI Prashant, my son Corey has had a needle biopsy of the liver, did not have surgery though. he's on his 5th round of chemo treatments. Just keep a positive attitude through this. all of corey's tumors were found on either a bone scan or ct scan to determine gct's. his oncology surgeon and oncologist team are great at university of chgo. keep us informed how it goes.
susan

[Joe]

Hi Prashant, the decision to biopsy is not the easiest as there are risks both ways. Should they do the needle biopsy, I have heard they will then make sure to remove the entire biopsy track during surgery (to lessen the chance any disease spreads). I underwent surgical biopsy (with initial pathology study in the OR--and with detailed tissue analysis in the lab) as the first part of my tumor removal, the idea being that if it was *not* a GCT, they would close me back up and decide on the next course of treatment. My case might be a bit different, however, in that a distal radius tumor is very often GCT (other diseases being much less likely) and all tests to that point indicated GCT. I wish you the best of luck with your treatment, please let us know how it goes.

[tina puterbaugh]

Hi, Joe. My I have a mass on my right distal radius, and was hoping you could give me some insight. I believe the mass to be a GTC as it is doubled in size since i initially noticed it. Thanks.-Tina

[Joe]

Hi Tina, I am sorry to hear you have a tumor which sounds similar to mine. It is disturbing to read that your primary doc has not already referred you for an orthopedic consult--insist on it, or self-refer if you must. Find an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in orthopedic oncology (even though GCT is not exactly cancer, it is an invasive, aggressive tumor, and a cancer surgeon is usually the best trained to manage it). That being said, my surgeon specializes in the hand and wrist (also with much tumor removal experience). He did consult regularly, however, with the clinic's resident orthopedic oncology specialist and together they formulated the surgical plan. I had my surgery one year ago yesterday, and so far things are going well. The remaining bone will always be weaker than it was, so I had to give up the rough stuff (ice hockey was my favorite), but I still sail, exercise, pretty much everything else I used to do. I wish you the best with this. Please keep us updated, say your prayers, and do not hesitate to ask more questions as you have them--I have found just about everyone on this site to be very helpful and encouraging.

[tina puterbaugh]

Thank you so much!! I am hoping that the rheumatologist takes x-rays before he tries to drain it. I am not looking forward to having an unecessary painful procedure just to find out what I already know. I will keep you guys informed, my Rheumatologist appt is all the way in December. Thank you so much again!!!

[ilana]

Hi Prashant! I have had 2 needle biopsies now. Neither was a big deal--for the second one they didn't even put me out. You'll definately get some sort of anesthetic and once it's done you shouldn't even feel any soreness. I know some doctors or people may warn you against needle biopsies because the bad cells may spread while being dragged out of the site and I too raised those concerns. My doctor said he wouldn't suggest a needle biopsy if he thought it were unsafe. I'm sure your doctor feels the same way.
It's important to know what you're working with. Tumor are all treated differently. Especially dealing with gcts you can't be too careful since they tend to be so vascular. My best advice is: find doctors you really like and really trust then put your life in their hands and take their advice. Good luck!

[Prashant]

Thanks for the replies people.....I had read about the risks of seeding but as ilana pointed out theres no choice but to trust the doc in these cases so am going with his assessment for now. The strangest part though is that my tumor has not grown in the last one month which is quite atypical of the aggressive nature of gct's. So hopefully i get some conclusive answers after the needle biopsy.

[Prashant]

Ok had my needle biopsy of my foot - it was painless for most part and i even went bowling the next day :-). I refused the narcotics as it is only required if you are anxious or worried and i didn't want to be groggy for the rest of the day. The pain is managed by the numbing injection that they give. There was mild swelling for about 24 hours and i had to take ibuprofen immediately after and once again in the evening to manage pain after the numbing agent wore off. Results typically take upto 3 days.

[ProfessorCrowley]

My wife had a needle biopsy using a special type of needle that prevents "seeding" at Hopkins, where she is being treated. This was the biopsy that determined she had a GCT as she was originally diagnosed with chordoma. She was out entirely for the procedure, which didn't take very long and she did okay later with some additional bone pain in combination with the pain she suffers normally. She was very tired and needed to sleep quite a bit after the anaesthesia wore off. But overall it was not a difficult procedure. I think you will be just fine, Prashant, you may need to stay off your foot and manage your pain for a day or so afterwards but you will be fine. They are quite skilled with these procedures now. Please keep us posted!

[Alianna]

I had a needle biopsy the first time. I didn't get knocked out - and i regret that. No one should ever have a spike driven into their bone without major pain reduction. However- do make sure that they remove the biopsy track when they take the tumor out.

[James]

Well the first thing that comes to mind is "GET A NEW DOCTOR!" A biopsy is only going to tell him, as a seconday back-up of WHY he is there in the first place. If hes not sure wyh he is going there I would back off. There are tons of ways to know WHERE the "tumor" before and during any OP.