What does "biopsy" mean and what are the main types?

A biopsy is the removal of a tissue sample for microscopic examination to determine whether disease, particularly cancer, is present. The term comes from bio meaning life and opsy meaning to view. Main types include excisional biopsy where the entire lesion is removed, incisional biopsy where a portion of the lesion is removed, needle biopsy where a needle extracts tissue from a mass, and endoscopic biopsy where tissue is sampled during a scoping procedure.