What is bone marrow, biopsy and aspiration?
• Bone marrow is the spongy tissue and fluid which is inside some of the larger bones in the body. The marrow is where you make red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets from cells called ‘stem cells’. • A biopsy is when a small sample of tissue is removed from a part of the body. The sample of tissue is then examined under the microscope to look for abnormal cells, and may also be tested in other ways. • Aspiration means removing some fluid. In this example it is the removal of a sample of bone marrow fluid which can be looked at under the microscope or tested in other ways. Who has a bone marrow biopsy and aspiration? There are a number of reasons why you may be advised to have these tests. For example, they may be done to: • Find the reason for a low number of red blood cells (anaemia), a low number of white blood cells (leucopenia), or a low number of platelets (thrombocytopenia) in the blood. Also, to find the reason for a high number of these types of blood cells. A numbe
