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Biopsies are small samples of tissue taken from a mass or tumor that are examined under a microscope to make a diagnosis. Biopsies are used most often to determine whether cancer cells are present, although certain infections and other diseases can be diagnosed as well. A specific type of biopsy procedure called the frozen section was developed in order to make a rapid diagnosis of a mass during surgery. The December 28, 2005, issue of JAMA includes an article about the origins of the frozen section technique.

FROZEN SECTION PROCEDURE

During the frozen section procedure, the surgeon removes a portion of the tissue mass. This biopsy is then given to a pathologist (a doctor who examines tissues and uses laboratory tests to make a diagnosis). The pathologist freezes the tissue in a cryostat machine, cuts it with a microtome, and then stains it with various dyes so that it can be . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Erin Brender, MD, Writer; Alison Burke, MA, Illustrator; Richard M. Glass, MD, Editor

RELATED ARTICLE

The 100-Year Anniversary of the Description of the Frozen Section Procedure
Anthony A. Gal and Philip T. Cagle
JAMA. 2005;294(24):3135-3137.
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