Description:

Virtual biopsy may provide a robust, non-invasive alternative in the surveillance and management of several types of cancer. This new imaging-based technique can extract encoded data from routine medical imaging scans and formulate likelihoods to help characterize tissue for the purposes of screening for cancer, diagnosing and grading cancer, planning oncologic treatment, and predicting the prognosis of disease--all without any surgical or invasive intervention. Although its use has been primarily studied in the oncologic setting, it can potentially be used for any disease process that requires analysis of its pathogenesis. Here, we discuss the technique of virtual biopsy, the variety of ways physicians can utilize it, and its impact on the outcomes of patients and healthcare.