Hello Zebra,

"I'm wondering if she used the same scalpel for the mastectomies and the lymph nodes."

I never thought or considered that, but am a believer.

IF I cut up a chicken on a cutting board, I doubt you want me to use that same board and knife to then prepare a fresh salad. Right? You would want the board, knife and my hands absolutely sanitized - for GOOD REASON which does not require a degree in biology or pathology. Let's explore that more: The gloves and anything else which came in contact with tumor cells? Ughhhh...

IF a cancer patient were to ask one of these loud doubters if they would like an injection of cancer cells from someone else put in their body, I am pretty darn sure they would respond with an immediate "No."

Though 99.9% of all scientists and health care workers will flat out deny that cancer cells can spread via biopsy (digging around in a tumor), low and behold, I found a buried study by the NIH (National Institute of Health). The holy grail...of spreading cancer cells. There's no way these doc's and pathologist's haven't considered this. I TRIED to include the link, but this site won't allow. g o o g l e - N I H T u M or Cell Seeding

As a result of my own online research, it appears 80% of all biopsies are negative. I recognize that surgeons have few choices. This is the difficult part. Without biopsy, it would be unreasonable to offer mastectomies, especially women and men who have a small, but suspicious findings. So, what choices do surgeons and oncologists have? Few, if any. But, I also wonder if radiologists and oncologists do more biopsies than they should. My 84 year old aunt has had like 7 biopsies and none were found to be cancer.

Partial Success! My new oncologist is a human being first and a doctor second. He listened! Yesterday, he agreed to a mastectomy of my right breast with no biopsy. BUT today I learned that my insurance, which 9 years ago would have paid for a mastectomy on both sides, refuses to pay unless I undergo biopsy first.

It is my understanding that as I write this, the oncologist is attempting to set up a pathologist who would be immediately available to examine the tissue removed. IF the tissue sample/biopsy were to be cancer, then I would be taken immediately to OR and have breast removed/mastectomy. This oncologist is probably a 1% er'... who cares.

There is almost no explanation for anyone having a very small cancer biopsied (LCIS - DCIS - under 10mm), then removed with lumpectomy (later) - and years later after being told they were "cured" and "beat it," diagnosed with Stage IV. Biopsies must be responsible for spreading the cancer or cells naturally break off from the main tumor and move via lymph and blood (I believe that is Angiogenesis). Not sure if I spelled that right!

After my original diagnosis, I spent the next 2-3 years living in continual fear of cancer. It occupied my mind on and off, all day long every day. Very unhealthy, mentally and physically. I managed to put it aside for the most part and rarely talk about it. I would become stressed mostly in the month or two prior to scans/mammograms, etc. Then find calm again, until this recent suspicious finding, something I never imagined (other breast).

At best, this is a conundrum...

I believe it is wrong (per the study) for anyone in the healthcare field to claim cancer cells cannot be spread during biopsy. The cells are microscopic and even the needle or scalpel would have some attached, which would obviously migrate to other areas.