I had a surgical biopsy done when I had my lumpectomy done at the same time. Can Dr's tell with there naked eye if they think something is cancerous or not, or do they have a good idea?
2006-07-01 10:11:10 · 9 answers · asked by mickey 4 in Health ➔ Diseases & Conditions ➔ Cancer
A doctor can have a general idea of what something is, but they can't tell anything for sure until they look at it on a cellular level. But some things are more obvious than others.
2006-07-01 10:14:54 · answer #1 · answered by PsychoBabble 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
no,,, they have to send it to a lab..Biopsy: The removal of a sample of tissue for purposes of diagnosis. (Many definitions of "biopsy" stipulate that the sample of tissue is removed for examination under a microscope. This may or may not be the case. The diagnosis may be achieved by other means such as by analysis of chromosomes or genes.)
A biopsy may be done, for example, because of concern about cancer. The physical exam, imaging, endoscopy, and laboratory tests may indicate that something is abnormal, but a biopsy may be the only sure way to know whether the problem is, in fact, cancer. In a biopsy, the doctor removes a sample of tissue from the abnormal area or may remove the whole tumor. A specialist trained to examine such tissues is called a pathologist. A pathologist examines the tissue under a microscope. If cancer is present, the pathologist can usually tell what kind of cancer it is and may be able to judge whether the cells are likely to grow slowly or quickly.
2006-07-02 23:54:46 · answer #2 · answered by purple 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The doctor may have a good idea if the biopsy is "abnormal", but the most important information for cancer treatment comes from the pathologist that examines the specimen at the cellular level. This indicates how aggressive the cancer is, how advanced it is etc. For the most part treatment is determined from the pathologist's report.
2006-07-02 00:20:01 · answer #3 · answered by linda k 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
they can, but it's not 100% accurate of course -- that's why they have to send it to the lab. they can tell the approximity, but not the accuracy.
i think cancers have some blood in it and a little reddish-brown in color when aspirated.
my mom gets a lot of cysts and her surgeon can tell if it was benign (by the color) when aspirated. when he sees a different color, of course he's not gonna immediately say "oh, it's cancerous" -- he'd rather have tests done on it first -- as a doctor, they can't jump into conclusions without proving it first. (just like a scientist)
2006-07-01 17:25:14 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The biopsy would have to be tested and examined under a microscope.
2006-07-01 17:27:23 · answer #5 · answered by Tigger 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think if it's on the surface of the skin they might be able to.( like skin cancer) I hope everything turns out ok for U! God Bless!!!
2006-07-01 17:18:51 · answer #6 · answered by Diana.D1348 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I THINK THEY CAN, BUT THEY NEED TO BE SURE IT IS BEFORE THEY TELL YOU. FALSE HOPE. LIKE IF THEY TOLD YOU IT WASNT BEFORE THEY TESTED IT AND IT CAME BACK POSSITIVE OR VISE VERRSA. THATS WHY THEY SEND IT OUT TO GET TESTED SO THE CAN GIVE YOU THE RIGHT ANSWER
2006-07-01 18:06:59 · answer #7 · answered by sparky121366 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think they can tell you if it's cancerous but not what kind.
2006-07-02 15:21:54 · answer #8 · answered by Shorty 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
they can guess, but only the lab is 100%
2006-07-04 16:44:28 · answer #9 · answered by Jill 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋