Does a bone marrow biopsy hurt?

Comfort measures are commonly used during a bone marrow biopsy, since a needle is used to withdraw the tissue or fluid sample. Some biopsies require a sedative, which is medicine that helps you relax and stay still or sleep during the procedure. Others use local anesthesia, which causes loss of feeling in one small area of the body. Which approach is used depends on your specific procedure and your care team's practice.

Because everyone's experience is different, it is worth asking your care team ahead of time exactly what kind of comfort measures they plan to use for you, so you know what to expect and can ask any follow-up questions.

After the sample is collected, it is sent to a pathologist, who examines it under a microscope and describes the findings in a pathology report. Bone marrow samples are often studied further with cytogenetic analysis and immunophenotyping, especially when a blood cancer such as leukemia or lymphoma is being considered.