Bone Marrow Biopsy
Diagnostic Procedures

Testing for blood-related cancers (leukemia, lymphoma or myeloma) may be done be removing a small amount of bone marrow, the spongy tissue within the bone where all blood cells are formed. Bone marrow is most often removed from the hip bone by inserting a hollow needle and extracting a small amount of marrow for examination. The term biopsy is used when doctors sample the marrow tissue. Sampling of liquid bone marrow is often done at the same time and is referred to as bone marrow aspiration. The test is generally performed at your doctor’s office and takes about 30 minutes.

For more information, see our Health Information section on bone marrow aspiration and biopsy.