Needle Biopsy Risks

[snopes]

Q. Is it true that needle biopsies leak lung cancer cells into the bloodstream, spreading cancer throughout the body?

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/27/science/27qna.html

[joshxrt22]

Though I don't specialize in cancer, I do work in a hospital in Radiology, where we do CT-guided biopsies (CAT Scan).

If this were a true statement, I seriously doubt that it would be a common-place procedure.

So I gotta go with false on this.

I was talking to a Dr at the Mayo clinic about just such a thing not to long ago. He basically said the same as in the link but added that they are starting to lean away from doing needle biopsys because of the very slight chance of such a thing happening.

However, that is one Dr at one clinic. I guess it is all hearsay.

[Sister Ray]

It is my understanding that sometimes at a biopsy, the tumor will be found to be far more advanced than previously thought, thus giving the appearance of the tumor spreading because of the biopsy.

Sister "but that is the more depressing explanation" Ray