Cancer is often surrounded by many misconceptions, such as fear of surgery or medical intervention. This leads many people to abandon conventional treatment in favor of traditional healers and herbal remedies. By the time patients experience pain, exhaustion, or complications, and return to the hospital, it is often too late.

Similarly, a cancer biopsy involves using a small needle to access a deep-seated tumor for diagnosis; it cannot rupture the tumor or worsen the disease. This method is crucial for confirming a diagnosis, without which doctors lack the evidence needed for treatment.

Furthermore, a biopsy helps determine the stage of the disease and whether it has metastasized. This allows doctors to assess the malignancy and severity of the cancer. In many suspected cancer cases, prescribing medication without a biopsy can be very harmful due to the toxicity of cancer drugs. Doctors may also combine biopsy with ultrasound, X-ray, CT scan, and MRI to confirm the results definitively.

Therefore, patients should not trust advertisements, rumors, or information shared on social media, as following such advice can lead to missing the critical "golden time" for treatment, causing cancer to advance to later, more difficult-to-treat stages.

Illustration: Clikodoc

Dr. Ha Hai Nam

Deputy Head of Abdominal Surgery Department 1, K Hospital (Hanoi)