Biopsy of the Thyroid Gland
A biopsy is a minimally invasive procedure during which a doctor takes a small sample of cells from the thyroid. A pathologist examines the tissue sample under a microscope and determines whether the cells are normal or cancerous.
We use the least invasive biopsy procedure possible, minimizing discomfort while still obtaining enough cells to make a diagnosis.
We specialize in image-guided biopsy, which uses one of our imaging technologies to precisely locate the area where we need to take the tissue sample. We offer several types of thyroid biopsy, and you may need one or more types depending on your individual case.
- Needle biopsy: The doctor inserts a needle into the thyroid to remove a tiny sample of cells from a suspicious area. There are two types:
- Fine-needle aspiration biopsy uses a very thin needle and syringe. You may or may not need a local anesthetic (numbing medicine) for this procedure. This is the biopsy procedure we use most often to confirm a diagnosis of thyroid cancer.
- Core biopsy uses a wider needle to take the sample. Your doctor will give you a local anesthetic to numb your thyroid for the procedure.
- Image-guided biopsy: Our radiologists often use imaging to precisely locate the abnormal tissue and guide the needle for the sample. Types of imaging for guided biopsy include:
- Ultrasound-guided biopsy using high-frequency sound waves.
- CT-guided biopsy, which uses a CT scanner and x-rays.
- Surgical biopsy: In some situations, a surgeon may perform a diagnostic lobectomy, removing the thyroid lobe containing the nodule in question. The goal is to determine whether the tumor is benign (noncancerous) or malignant (cancerous).
Pathology: Analyzing thyroid biopsies
After you have a biopsy, your nurse sends your tissue samples to our pathologists for review. A pathologist is a medical doctor who specializes in reviewing and evaluating lab tests, cells, and tissues to diagnose disease. Our pathologists analyze biopsy samples to determine whether the tissue is cancerous and, if so, what type of thyroid cancer it is.
At the Stanford, our pathologists specialize in thyroid cancer. That focus means they have extensive expertise interpreting thyroid biopsies and other tests to confirm or rule out a thyroid cancer diagnosis.
Because thyroid cancer represents a complex group of different diseases, it’s important to have expert pathologists on your care team. Years of experience studying thyroid cancer every day means your pathologist can accurately identify critical details. This information includes whether the cancer:
- Shows a high or low cell grade (rating that describes how different the cancer cells are from normal cells)
- Is aggressive or slow growing
- Contains specific molecules that indicate the cancer subtype
All these details help form an accurate diagnosis, which is vital to your treatment plan. Your care team takes the time to do a thorough evaluation from the start, so that your treatment will be more effective.
Thyroid tumor tissue bank
Our doctors and researchers work to thoroughly understand the true diversity of thyroid cancer and identify the genetic abnormalities that can play a role in thyroid cancer formation. That’s why it’s critical that our doctors have access to tissue samples to plan for each patient’s care.
At Stanford, we store thyroid tissue samples, so we can use them for research, using the following process:
- Before we take a biopsy (tiny sample of thyroid tissue), we ask you if you would like to give it to the tissue bank.
- The tissue first goes to the laboratory, where the pathologist samples it.
- If you approve, the tissue then goes to thyroid cancer research specialists. These doctors work with our clinicians (doctors involved in patient care) to identify new pathways of tumor formation and possible treatments.
- The data is made anonymous and is not available to you after donation, because we use it for research and not for clinical use in making treatment decisions.
Our thyroid tumor bank provides our doctors and other researchers with a variety of different types of thyroid cancer cells to study. As we work on new methods and tools for diagnosing and treating thyroid cancer, our goal is to move these findings from the lab into patient care.
Current as of: 1/2020