Are you scared to have a biopsy? For most people, it is always associated with cancer. However, the procedure is just one of the ways to diagnose the disease. If your doctor has prescribed it, you should have an idea how much it costs and what to expect. Learn more from this post and prepare the right budget.
Why Do I Need Biopsy?
You have come to the doctor to seek help. When you provided the details of your symptoms, certain tests will become important to diagnose what’s going on with your body. In this case, biopsy may just be the appropriate thing to do especially for hard to determine diseases. It is an ideal test to see if a tumor is cancerous or not.
How Much is Biopsy?
The price of biopsy in the Philippines is from ₱300 to ₱1,800 which depends on the organ involved. The procedure cost vary per body part and some are expensive depending on how a specimen is collected. Remember that there are various methods to get a sample from you.
The doctor will provide a prescription on what test is necessary and therefore the price will depend on it. In public hospitals, the price may start from as low as ₱300 but you have to consider the inconvenience of dealing with longer waiting time.
Prices Per Type
Biopsy Type | Price (₱) |
---|---|
Small | 300 |
Large | 1,000 |
Extra large | 1,200 (estimated in public hospitals) |
Bone Tissue | 600 to 1,000 |
Breast | 3,750 |
Cervical | 600 to 1500 |
CT Guided | 7,000 |
Liver | 1,800 |
Lung | 1,800 |
Stereotactic | 6,000 |
Rectal | 135 |
Prostate | 47,500 complete package |
Prostate ultrasound guided | 700 |
Punch biopsy | 800 |
Fine Needle Aspiration | 380 |
Price Comparison in Hospitals
Look at these prices in some hospitals and do a comparison.
Hospital | Price |
---|---|
East Avenue Medical Center (extra large) | ₱1,500 |
Western Visayas Medical Center | ₱1,000 |
Jose Reyes Medical Center (intranasal) | ₱5,680 |
Perpetual Succor (excision) | ₱1,200 |
Where to go for the procedure? For your convenience, you may inquire with any of the hospitals near you so that sample collection will be more convenient.
We all want to get the cheapest price for medical tests. If you were prescribed an expensive biopsy like the ones for prostate, an installment payment plan is available. Some hospitals may honor credit cards or you can convert the amount to monthly payment. Promo prices are also available in some diagnostic centers to help you reduce the cost.
For cancers that require sampling from the tumor cells, a core needle biopsy may be recommended by the doctor. The price may range from Php 3,600 in government hospitals up to Php 8,000 or more in private hospitals.
Note that more invasive tests may range from Php 10,000 to Php 27,000 depending on the difficulty of obtaining the tissue samples. There are special equipment utilized for such a procedure resulting to higher prices.
If a session requires special instruments, it will be more expensive together with professional fees. Those with imaging guided biopsies such as mammogram, ultrasound or CT scan are included in this type.
There are different ways to extract a sample and it will depend on the recommendation of the doctor. The most common ones include:
- Mammotome
- Core Needle
- CT Guided
- Frozen Section
- Bone Marrow
- Liver
- Skin Biopsy
- Surgical
- Endoscopic
- Punch
Some other organs in which the procedure may be performed include the brain, lungs, breast, rectum, testicles, pancreas, stomach, ovary, uterus and more.
Results
The release time of results will vary based on the requested procedure. The more invasive the collection of tissue is, the more time required before the results become available. Those done at the clinic, say for example skin may require a shorter time.
Free Service
There are public and government hospitals that offer this procedure to patients for free. However, these hospital may be packed with individuals who also want to avail of the service. You may need to get an appointment or fall in line to get an appointment
Being a special test, it may not be covered by most HMO cards. Make sure to ask about this from your provider so you can save money when you use your account for other medical costs. However, doctors’ fees may be covered as usual especially with consultation matters.
References: WebMD, Mayoclinic
About the Author: The MedicalPinas team publishes articles to help Filipinos find info on various medical services and their prices.
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