“Will a biopsy cause cancer to spread?”
I have heard that if a cancer growth is scrapped for biopsy it tends to spread. Is this true? Which parts of the body is this most true for?
3 Answers
The short answer is no. When a person or their physician identifies an abnormal lesion it is important to know what it is. This is done by sampling the lesion in a number of ways and looking at the tissue under a microscope. Then decisions can be made regarding treatment and prognosis.
Yes, there have been reports, although this is exceedingly rare. The benefits of biopsy will surely outweigh the risk of spreading cancer.
Most true for spreading with testicular cancer. Unlikely with skin, breast, and lymph node cancers
