To perform a lymph node biopsy, your doctor will numb your lymph nodes and surrounding skin with a local anaesthetic. A tiny incision will be made and a small piece of lymph node tissue will be removed. The lymph node tissue will be sent to a laboratory for analysis under a microscope to determine if there is any cancer or infection present.
Lymph node biopsies can also diagnose:
- benign lumps
- infections ( such as glandular fever and toxoplasmosis)
- autoimmune disorders
- other illnesses, such as sarcoidosis
There are two types of lymph node biopsy:
- fine-needle lymph node biopsy. A fine needle is used to extract cells from the lymph node. This is usually carried out in a doctor's surgery or hospital clinic and only requires local anaesthetic.
- excision lymph node biopsy. This involves removing all of an enlarged lymph node ( or sometimes a group of lymph nodes). It is usually done under a general anaesthetic.