Image-guided percutaneous needle biopsy in cancer diagnosis and staging.

Image-guided percutaneous biopsy is a well-established and safe technique and plays a crucial role in management of cancer patients. Improvements in needle designs, development of new biopsy techniques, and continual advances in image-guidance technology have improved the safety and efficacy of the procedure. Lesions previously considered relatively inaccessible can now be safely biopsied. In this article, we review the various needle types, biopsy techniques, methods of safely assessing difficult-to-reach lesions, the advantages and disadvantages of various imaging modalities, and specific biopsy techniques applicable to different regions of the body.