 Administrator, Director of Patient Support Services Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Joined: Jun 2007 Posts: 10,507 Likes: 7 | Only thru a biopsy can it be determined if something is cancerous. A well trained, experienced doctor can suspect something is cancerous or nothing to worry about but they wont know for certain unless its biopsied. I do not know the rate of wrong biopsies but just like anything it certainly would be possible. A biopsy is only as good as the person studying the tissue and posting the results. Human error can happen but it should be a relatively rare occurrence.
ChristineSCC 6/15/07 L chk & by L molar both Stag I, age44 2x cispltn-35 IMRT end 9/27/07 -65 lbs in 2 mo, no caregvr Clear PET 1/08 4/4/08 recur L chk Stag I surg 4/16/08 clr marg 215 HBO dives 3/09 teeth out, trismus 7/2/09 recur, Stg IV 8/24/09 trach, ND, mandiblctmy 3wks medicly inducd coma 2 mo xtended hospital stay, ICU & burn unit PICC line IV antibx 8 mo 10/4/10, 2/14/11 reconst surg OC 3x in 3 years very happy to be alive  | 
