Core needle biopsy wash as a tool for acquiring additional diagnostic material for laboratory testing

Area of Science:

• Pathology
• Biotechnology
• Laboratory Medicine

Background:

• Core needle biopsy is a common procedure for tissue procurement.
• Limited cellular material from biopsies restricts comprehensive laboratory testing.
• Current workflows may not maximize the diagnostic potential of biopsy samples.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a prewash step for core needle biopsy processing.
• To determine if this step yields sufficient cells for expanded laboratory analysis.
• To assess the feasibility of integrating this technique into standard workflows.

Main Methods:

• Tissue samples were obtained using a core needle device from unfixed resection specimens.
• A buffered solution wash was performed before tissue fixation.
• Dislodged cells were collected from a liquid aliquot, separate from the main tissue specimen.

Main Results:

• Cells dislodged during the biopsy procedure are recoverable.
• Recovered cells are representative of the original tissue section.
• Sufficient quantities of cells were obtained for additional laboratory testing.

Conclusions:

• A prewash step for core needle biopsies is an underutilized method to increase diagnostic material.
• This technique extends the utility of limited biopsy samples for laboratory testing.
• Recovering supplemental cells offers potential for various current and future laboratory assays.