Can a biopsy spread cancer? Top doctor explains what happens

Biopsy is often a word associated with fear. It is a crucial diagnostic procedure to understand what’s going on in the body. As most tend to associate a biopsy with cancer, they have a lot of questions. One of them is: Can cancer spread if you do a biopsy? Dr. Jayesh Sharma, a leading cancer surgeon based in Raipur, India, has now explained the truth behind this pressing question. Before we delve into that, let’s understand what this procedure is.

A biopsy is a procedure where some cells, tissue, or fluid is removed from your body for examination by a medical pathologist. This procedure helps your doctor know what's going on in your body. Though people tend to associate a biopsy with cancer, doctors suggest this to diagnose many medical conditions, such as hepatitis, tuberculosis, peptic ulcer, and endometriosis, among others.

So can a biopsy really spread cancer, if at all you have it? The short answer is yes, but it's extremely rare. Dr. Sharma explains that a lot of research has been carried out to understand whether there is a possibility of a spread, especially when the sample is taken from organs situated deep within the body, such as the chest and abdomen. “There is no risk for most of the biopsies of common cancers, such as the mouth, breast, cervix, stomach, and colon, which are done through endoscopy,” the surgeon said.

He also elaborated that in rare cases, the risk is somewhere between 1% to 2.5%. “People keep saying that a biopsy will spread the tumour in the whole body or it will become aggressive. That is absolutely false, there is no evidence of that,” he added.

So if the chances of the cancer spreading due to a biopsy are extremely rare, where does this misconception persists? Dr. Sharma says there could be three reasons behind it.

• As this procedure involves a needle, there could be a little swelling or redness around the particular area where the sample is taken. People assume this natural reaction of a small injury as a sign of cancer spreading. But it's false.

• In India, 70-80% of people get diagnosed with cancer at stage 3 or 4. “In that stage, unfortunately, most people do not get good results,” the doctor said. So when the treatment outcome is not so good, people end up blaming the biopsy or the treatment. What people overlook is that early detection is crucial, and that is the best way to improve treatment outcomes and recovery.

• Misinformation is so prevalent. Dr. Sharma stresses that influencers often spread misinformation about biopsies. “If you catch cancer in the early stage, about 80 to 90% would recover from our therapy.”

Dr. Sharma emphasizes that the real risk is not getting a biopsy if the doctor advises it. Biopsies are crucial for the diagnosis, cancer care, and timely treatment.

This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult your doctor or a qualified healthcare provider with any questions about a medical condition or treatment.