Is it correct for a dr. to say you have cancer without a biospy?

Question

I had a TIA 2 weeks ago and this Thursday I went to emergency room with similar symptoms. They said no TIA but I had cancer someplace in my body...Is it unusual for such a quick diagnosis? They found lung nodules in lung xray

Answer 1

Doctors try to make a best guess for a diagnosis early on, through what's called a 'differential diagnosis'. For your situation, a finding of multiple lung nodules, this differential includes a variety of circumstances including lung cancer but also 'benign' like tuberculosis, other infections being most likely.

If you're a smoker or smoked in the past, the chance of lung cancer is higher but requires a biopsy for 100% confirmation. So from what you've said it's incorrect to say you have lung cancer based on an X-ray, only that it's highly concerning.

What next? You need to see a lung specialist, called a pulmonologist, as soon as possible to get confirmation on biopsy or bronchoscopy. Call your primary care provider first for a referral, but if it's slow going then consider contacting a pulmonary medicine specialist yourself.

I wish you well and hope it's a red herring and that everything goes OK with your other health issues.

Answer 2

It certainly seems unusual for emergency room doctors to diagnose cancer, and to not tell you WHERE the cancer is. Are they saying you have lung cancer or that they think you have cancer that went to your lungs from some other place i your body?

It is important to get more specifics. Most kinds of cancer do require a biopsy for diagnosis, but not all. For example, blood cancers such as leukemia are diagnosed with blood work. Solid tumors such as breast cancer are diagnosed with biopsies. There are also now some tests on the blood called tumor markers that can give a general idea about cancer cells that have been released into the bloodstream.

As others have recommended, definitely go in to see an oncologist if you can. Bring all the results of the scans and lab tests they did at the ER.

Good luck.

Answer 3

That is a bit odd, and while it could be cancer, for them to jump to that conclusion is not entirely appropriate.

There are several other things that can cause multiple lung nodules... including many benign processes!

I would recommend having a CT scan of your chest, abdomen, and pelvis... this will shed more light on what you may be facing, and you should have a biopsy of something before being diagnosed definitively with cancer.

Answer 4

It is unusual, but it's probably also very lucky, ironically, since finding it quickly increases your probability of complete recovery. A biopsy will probably be necessary anyway (to rule out the possibility that you have some strange condition no-one has ever seen before, but that's a good thing.

Another reason they may have made such a quick (if not finalized) judgement is if you are (or were) a smoker...

Hope it all works out okay...good luck!

Answer 5

For lung cancer, yes, they can see pretty well on x-ray.

Lung tumors dont look like other lesions (emphysema, tuberculosis, ect.), and I dont think benign lung tumors are that frequent. Also, the way a mass spreads and causes other troubles (pleural effusion and the likes) pretty much indicates malignancy. Usually other tests will be done though, to evaluate spread, if it can be operated on, ect. Also biopsy is usually needed to do staging & caracterisation (there are about 6 types of lung cancers, and treatment options are different for each).

Answer 6

A doctor told me 18 months ago that I had bone cancer that had spread from somewhere else. Pretty much gave me a death sentence. I went to a specialist who was quite certain from the beginning that it was not cancer, and it wasn't.
See a specialist asap.

Answer 7

The dr may be right, based on his experience and skills, ,but I'd still want a biopsy.

When my dad was diagnosed, the surgeon said, " I'm not posiive it's cancer, but I'm quite sure it is. we'll know once they look at the biopsy. ( it was)

Answer 8

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Answer 9

u go to a doc to find out what is wrong with you ,your not feeling good. your doc tells you ,you have cancer, well u went ther to find out and he tells you, so sure he has the4 right to tell you, if you dident want to know why did you go?
my dad had cancer for years and the doc never told him, i told my dad to go get another doc. he did and with out any kind of tests the doc told my dad sir u have cancer a doc with experience can usually tell if a person has cancer or not, when they don't know they do the tests,

sorry to hear your problems but yes good doc's know what they are doing.

Answer 10

I think getting a second opinion (preferably from someone who does a biopsy) is always a pretty smart thing to do.