Bone marrow biopsy

Your health care provider may recommend a bone marrow biopsy based on your blood test results or if your provider suspects cancer is affecting your bone marrow.

Bone marrow is the spongy material inside some of your larger bones where blood cells are made. Analyzing a sample of bone marrow may reveal what's causing your blood problem.

A bone marrow biopsy is commonly used to diagnose a variety of blood problems, both cancerous and not cancerous. A bone marrow biopsy can diagnose blood cancers, such as leukemia, lymphoma and multiple myeloma. It can also detect cancers that started elsewhere and traveled to the bone marrow.

During a bone marrow biopsy, your health care provider draws a sample of bone marrow out of the back of your hipbone using a long needle. In certain situations, the sample can be collected from other bones in your body. You'll receive a local anesthetic or other medicine to minimize discomfort during the procedure.