Lymph node biopsy

The withdrawal of body tissue from a living organism is called biopsy. To confirm the diagnosis of a lymphoma, a biopsy of a whole lymph node is indispensable.

This lymph node should be easily accessible and as large as possible. In most cases, a biopsy can be performed under local anesthesia, but if the mediastinum or abdomen are involved, general anesthesia is necessary.

After its removal, the lymph node is subjected to histologic examinations including staining procedures and microscopic analyses, during which the pathologist determines the disease characteristics present in the respective case. In case of classical Hodgkin lymphoma, these would be the typical Hodgkin cells and Reed-Sternberg cells.

If possible, the diagnosis should be additionally confirmed by another pathologist who is highly experienced in the field of lymphoma diagnostics (review pathologist). This is common standard within the GHSG trials.