Biopsy and Spread of Breast Cancer

I have to agree with Jel. Give up on Dr Google, you'll only cause your wife and yourself more stress. My sister, God love her, started losing her hair "researching" the web for hours on end when I was diagnosed and she still didn't come up with anything conclusive. I've dabbled in it myself, but eventually realised I was both wasting time and causing myself more worries.

Talk and listen to the real experts. Any doctor in the field worth their salt is up on the latest and greatest information and technology. Your wife's doctors know her and her type of cancer .... and there are many different types of breast cancer ... so leave it to them.

I am sure you only want to be well informed and have every bit of information you can, but I doubt the web will do it for you. You don't need a degree to call yourself a doctor as far as Dr Google is concerned.

All the best

San-Dee

Biopsy is a less invasive way of determining if the problem is indeed cancer. Once upon a time they just surgically removed the lump and if it tested for cancer then a bigger operation was needed to remove the entire breast and the nearby lymph nodes as well.

Imagine what a travesty it would be if Drs just removed entire breasts only to find on biopsy of it that it was merely a fatty lump or something benign.

I had both a needle biopsy and the needle punch biopsy and it was weeks before the actual surgery and I too thought gee what if they have opened up that cancer lump and allowed it into my lymph nodes? My sentinel node on a scan looked good with no increase in size at the time.

When I had surgery to remove the entire breast (my option) the surgeon only took the one sentinel node. That node tested positive to cancer as well as the breast and that meant I had to have another surgery to remove all of my axillary lymph nodes for testing. No other nodes in biopsy showed any cancer. Ok, its nice to know they got to the bottom of it all but now I have an arm which for the rest of my life needs to be protected against any damage as there are no more lymph nodes left of mention to heal anything. I also get lymphedema right down to my hand from time to time so I cannot do a lot of heavy lifting or any major repetitive movements or the swelling returns.

Was the needle or punch biopsy responsible for spreading the cancer into my sentinel node? I don't think so. It wouldn't have had time establish into a biopsy detectable mass. Cancer can be fast but its not THAT fast. In hindsight before cancer was detected in me, I did used to get like a tingly little finger, rather like I had banged my elbow or something. I think that was the sentinel node pain because after the surgery that tingly finger business was gone. I would have had cancer in that node for several weeks before we found the breast cancer or biopsied it.

Nope... But frankly what is an alternative? Scans and waiting and observing to see if it changes and hope it is not cancer and does not spread in the meanwhile.

As my Drs told me - less than 5% of changes and lumps bumps cysts prove to be cancer so biopsy is a ay two know if there is a need to act.

And I appologise if this sounds cruel and heartless 'cause it will BUT I strongly suggest you lay off Mr Google and talk to Medicos instead. Mr Google has all sort of rubbish on it posing anything from gossip to 'official medical advice', 'official study' etc...

I would also suggest keeping these kinds of 'fishing expeditions' for audience other than the one activelly battling the damn BC demon. There is a lot that is not a 'given' that we have to accept and we have to allow all sorts of things done to us regardless of harmfull effects on us right now and some very serious long term consequences and there is one Hell of a lot of leap of Faith we have to make to submit ourselves to this. It is gruelling physically and absolute Hell emotionally. Yes we all ask ourselves 'why' we do it and if there is enough evidence to justify it but mate - this whole battle is enough of a torture for us who are deciding what bit to lop off or keep; what toxins to have injected to our bodies or not; what to have exposed to radiation and burns; how to manage falling alseep or just dragging ourselves out of bed; how to manage dealing with others without snapping their necks off and collapsing in a heap and how to survive and remain human and part of the family and social circles we were in without adding more anxiety to it all...

Seriously... if someone is biopsing a non cancerous lump there is no cancer to spread anyway... if someone is biopsing a cancerous lumop than thentissue affected by the biopsy is getting yanked out as is most of the tissue affected by the biopsy. And what comes afterwards will deal with the whole shitstorm anyway

There have been decades and decades of biopsies for all types of cancer so breast cancer is no different from any other. 

I get you are concerned about your wife and want to help her get an answer but mate you need to be less of a Googler, direct the question to the medical professionals in the field and consider just how appropriate it is to be raising this issue to those of us in the same situation as your wife while just 'fishing'... If you had done proper research and had something to share fair enough but to fish like this... I know you want to help her be less anxious but doing it in a way where you make others in the same situation potentially more worried and anxious - not the right way...

Again - this is my personal opinion and I know I may be coming down hard here BUT seriously you need to consider the audience and venue for hypathetical questions and weigh the benefit of dodamit  against potential damage before throwing them out like this...

Jel