A bone marrow biopsy is a medical procedure in which a small sample of bone marrow is taken so that it can be examined under a microscope by a pathologist. The bone marrow is the soft tissue found inside bones, and it is where most of your blood cells are made. By looking at a …
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A liquid biopsy is a medical test that detects signs of disease, such as cancer, in a sample of body fluid—most often blood. Unlike a traditional biopsy, which involves removing a small tissue sample with a needle or during surgery, a liquid biopsy is minimally invasive and can be done with a simple blood draw. …
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Pemphigus is a group of rare autoimmune diseases that affect the skin and mucous membranes (the moist surfaces inside your mouth, nose, throat, and genitals). The outer layer of these tissues is made of keratinocytes, which are flat cells arranged like tiles on a roof. In pemphigus, the immune system produces antibodies that target specific …
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Melanosis coli is a harmless condition that affects the large intestine (colon). In this condition, the lining of the colon turns dark brown or black due to a buildup of a pigment called lipofuscin. This pigment develops within cells that line the inside surface of the colon. Melanosis coli is noncancerous and typically related to …
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Atypical small acinar proliferation (ASAP) is a term pathologists use when examining a prostate biopsy under a microscope. It describes a small group of atypical prostate glands that could represent reactive features, benign (noncancerous) entities, or low grade prostate cancer. The microscopic features of ASAP are insufficient to establish a definitive cancer diagnosis, although it …
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Poorly differentiated carcinoma is a type of cancer made up of cells that line the surfaces of organs. Differentiation refers to the degree to which cancer cells resemble normal cells from the tissue in which they originated. When cancer is poorly differentiated, the tumour cells have lost many of the normal structures and features, making …
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In a pathology report, the term non-diagnostic means that the pathologist was not able to make a diagnosis based on the tissue or sample that was provided. This result does not mean the sample is normal or healthy—it simply means that there was not enough information in the sample to make a clear conclusion. Non-diagnostic …
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Follicular neoplasm is a term used by pathologists to describe a growth in the thyroid gland that is made up of cells that look like normal thyroid follicular cells. This term is most often used as a preliminary diagnosis after a test called a fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB). Because the cells from a follicular neoplasm …
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Background: Fibrocystic change (FCC) is a term used to describe a group of non-cancerous changes that often develop together in the breast. These changes include cysts, fibrosis, apocrine metaplasia, and adenosis. It is a common finding seen in up to 60% of reproductive-aged women. Another name for this condition is fibrocystic disease. What causes fibrocystic …
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What is an inflammatory polyp in the stomach? An inflammatory polyp is a non-cancerous growth that develops from the tissue that lines the inside of the stomach. Another name for this growth is a hyperplastic polyp. What causes an inflammatory polyp? Most inflammatory polyps in the stomach are associated with a condition called chronic gastritis …
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