The word "biopsy" simply means a look at life. "Bio" means life, and the rest of the word comes from a Greek root meaning "vision."
So a "biopsy" is a piece of living tissue removed from your body so that it can be examined, or looked at. The examination for cancer is also simple. Each different cell of the body has its own rate of cell division. If some cell lives an average of 20 days, then on the average about 5% of those cells, on any one day, would be in the process of dividing. That is, if there are 20 cells you are looking at, and they each live an average of 20 days, then one of them is likely to be just recently created while one is about to die. One of those 20 cells, or 5%, is probably in the midst of cell division.
So, a doctor looks at a slide, showing the "slice" of life from your tissue and finds, let us say, that 25% of the cells are in the process of dividing. That would be five times more than would be expected for that type of cell. A cell that is dividing will look different under the microscope than other cells that are not dividing.
Since cancer cells generally multiply more rapidly than regular cells, the doctor can now conclude that this sample of cells is malignant -- growing too fast. The biopsy shows cancer!
The sample for this examination can be done with a needle, or some other instrument, but generally the doctors claim that cutting into a suspicious lump will NOT allow any of the cells in that lump to escape through the hole or cut to spread in the body.
They are wrong. You should not get a biopsy unless you are fully informed on what treatments will be offered if the biopsy turns out to show cancer. Once you are fully informed, there is no reason to avoid the biopsy. But, if, after being fully informed you decide that you would not accept the treatments that will be offered, then the biopsy would force you into treatment more rapidly than you might choose. There is considerable risk that a biopsy will cause a spreading of any cells that have been examined in some lump.
The main article in this web section has an excellent presentation about biopsies. The above is only a brief summary. And, listed below are some of the other pages in this web site where you can read various authors about the subject of biopsies.
The Biopsy Report: A Patient's Guide Here is an excellent general description of biopsies.
Dangers Of Cancer Spread From A Biopsy
Mammography Particularly Useful in Detecting Slow-Growing, Non-Aggressive Tumors
Prostate Cancer Is Slow Growing
Biopsy Is Major Risk Factor In Testicular Cancer
Will the Biopsy Spread Cancer?
Report of Cancer Spreading After Biopsy
Needle Biopsy Associated Tumor Tracking of Adenocarcinoma of the Prostate
Tumor seeding after fine needle puncture or biopsy of hepatic lesions
Seeding Of Cancer Caused By Biopsy
Doctor: Why I avoid needle biopsy
On The Insanity of Pap Smear Practice
On Dermatologists and Dermatopathologists
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