LETTER TO THE EDITOR Letter to the Editor: what is implied by the term biopsy? WHAT IS IMPLIED BY THE TERM BIOPSY? It is common in conversations to hear that a colleague, friend, or rel- ative was diagnosed with cancer from a biopsy. An anatomic pathol- ogist would assume this diagnosis was from an incisional or excisional sample obtained at surgery. A clinical pathologist might question whether this diagnosis was from tissue aspiration or impression, lavage, or fluid analysis, to name a few methods. Further, veterinarians may confuse diagnostic pathologists when they submit a cytologic sample and report that a previous biopsy was performed. These are just some examples of imprecise terminology that we encounter in our profession. Veterinary practitioners may use a col- loquial phrase or slang to communicate with clients in terms they feel are better understood; however, as professionals when speaking or writing to veterinary colleagues, we must be precise with the term biopsy. According to Dorland’s Illustrated Medical Dictionary, biopsy (bio + Greek opsis vision) is the removal and examination, usually micro- scopic, of tissue from the living body, performed to establish precise diagnosis. 1 Below this term are several forms of biopsy listed, such as aspiration biopsy, brush biopsy, core biopsy, cytologic biopsy, excisional biopsy, needle biopsy, optical biopsy, punch biopsy, etc. A popular online medical dictionary indicates biopsy is “the removal and examination of tissue, cells, or fluids from the living body.” 2 In reviewing Veterinary Clinical Pathology articles published in 2017, I found 3 articles which demonstrate the confusion indicated by the term biopsy without a proper modifier. 3–5 The intent is not to embarrass the authors, but rather to make veterinary professionals aware of improper usage. The first article states, “The histologic appearance of the necropsy samples was consistent with the biopsy specimen but cel- lular pleomorphism was more pronounced and the mitotic rate was higher.” It is unclear whether this refers to the previous cytologic fine-needle aspirate biopsy and/or needle-core biopsy taken ante- mortem in this patient. The second article cites a reference by not- ing, “Peritoneal biopsy is considered the gold standard procedure for the diagnosis of peritoneal EMH, whereas cytology of the ascitic fluid is also considered a reliable diagnostic means.” Here, the authors are using similar words as the cited source. One asks, is not cytology of ascitic fluid a form of peritoneal biopsy? Perhaps the authors meant histologic examination of omentum is preferred over fluid cytology. The third example appears to use the term biopsy when referring to histologic samples, while aspirates and imprints are not considered biopsies, as implied by the following sentences from the article. “Splenectomy liver and mesenteric lymph node biopsies, and bone marrow aspiration and a core biopsy were per- formed at...,”“The cytology of the liver biopsy imprint (figure 2B) was similar to the previously described aspirate...,” and finally in the legend for images of the cat spleen “Smear of a fine-needle aspirate, 950 objective (A), and impression smear, 9100 objective (B), charac- terized by aggregates of well-differentiated mast cells and plasma cells. (C) Splenic biopsy with aggregates of well-differentiated plasma cells within the splenic red pulp, H&E.” Suggested improvements to these sentences would be “Spleen, liver, mesenteric lymph node, and bone marrow aspirate/core biopsies were performed at..,” “The cytology of the liver imprint...,” and “Splenic aspirate...splenic imprint...Splenic histology...” In summary, cytology to evaluate tissues and fluids is a respected diagnostic field in human and veterinary medicine. Cytologic biopsy may be followed by histologic biopsy, but “biopsy” should never be a substitute term for histopathologic examination. Rose E. Raskin Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA Email: rraskin@purdue.edu REFERENCES 1. “Biopsy.” Dorland’s Illustrated Medical Dictionary. 32nd ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier-Saunders; 2012. 2. “Biopsy.” Merriam-Webster.com, Merriam-Webster, www.merriam- webster.com/dictionary/biopsy. Accessed 2017. 3. Atherton MJ, Vazquez-Sanmartin S, Sharpe S, Waugh EM, Morris JS. A metastatic secretory gastric plasmacytoma with aberrant CD3 expression in a dog. Vet Clin Pathol. 2017;46:520–525. 4. Rautenbach Y, Goddard A, Clift SJ. Idiopathic myelofibrosis accompa- nied by peritoneal extramedullary hematopoiesis presenting as refrac- tory ascites in a dog. Vet Clin Pathol. 2017;46:46–53. 5. Bagwell JM, Herd HR, Breshears MA, Hodges S, Rizzi TE. Concurrent multiple myeloma and mast cell neoplasia in a 13-year-old castrated male Maine Coon cat. Vet Clin Pathol. 2017;46:151–157. DOI: 10.1111/vcp.12578 6 | © 2018 American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/vcp Vet Clin Pathol. 2018;47:6.