Fact Or Myth? Cancer Biopsies Can Spread Cancer
Friday, January 9, 2015 - 14:30
in Health & Medicine
Can cancer biopsies spread more cancer? Some patients, and a few doctors think so. Fine needle aspiration is a minimally invasive technique that uses a thin and hollow needle to extract a few cells from a tumor mass. Some contend that a biopsy can cause some cancer cells to spread and it has become a strongly-held belief, but is it true?It came about because some people who got biopsies did have cancer spread but it was so rare that answers were difficult to find. A recent study of more than 2,000 patients by researchers at Mayo Clinics concludes it is a myth and that patients who received a biopsy had a better outcome and longer survival than patients who did not have a biopsy. read more