My mother who has had surgery and radiation for oral cancer over a year ago was given a pet scan a couple of weeks ago as a precaution. There was something suspicious in her chest so the PET was followed by a CT scan. Now her doctor is ordering a Fine needle biopsy. She is 80 years old, takes 1 low dose aspirin a day and meds for high blood pressure. She was told the biopsy can't be done until she has stopped taking aspirin for a week. What is the reason for that does anyone know? Is it because there is a danger of bleeding with the biopsy and aspirin is a blood thinner?

Hi vb,

To my understanding you are right on. Aspirin is a blood thinner and I was taken off it before my surgeries. If there are other reasons I'm sure someone will be along to share.

Take care,
Dinah

Dinah has this right. Aspirin thins the blood, and has some effect on rates of clotting. These days doctors are even suggesting that a aspirin a day may prevent a portion of the cardiac events that are so common in our society. Anyone going into any type of surgery, no matter how minor, should have the best clotting ability available to them, and this means that her blood needs to get back to it's pre aspirin/normal state before they proceed.