How Many Women Will Die Due to Being Misdiagnosed with Having Breast Cancer?

How many women will die due to being misdiagnosed from having breast cancer? Often, women who find a lump under their armpit or on their breast are told it's nothing to worry about, come back in a year. Hearing these words from your doctor may be life threatening. Women are often told it is a fibroid tumor or something other than breast cancer. When some women are told the lump they feel is nothing to worry about and are told to come back in a year, by then it is to late. This cancer has spread to other places in her body, a crucial mistake the doctor has made. In a sense he or she has put you on death row and left you to die. This is due to his or her misdiagnosis.

Instead of some doctor just feeling the lump and guessing what the diagnosis is with something so serious as a lump, it needs a thorough examination. Second guessing something this serious is something that shouldn't happen. If I found a lump under my armpit or on my breast, I would request a biopsy to rule out cancer. Doctors are not always correct on their diagnosis and this often leads to a patient dying or their health being jeopardized.

If you are a woman who has found a lump or lumps under your armpit or on your breast, do not accept one opinion. This is your life and you have the right to get as many opinions as you wish. If your doctor examines you and tells you it is just a fibroid tumor and it is not cancerous, let him know you want a biopsy to rule out cancer. Remember, this is your right and your life that is at stake.

Breast Biopsy: A biopsy may be done if a clinical examination, mammography, or ultrasound reveals a lump or tumor in the breast. This will determine whether the lump is benign or malignant. Benign is a non-cancerous tumor and malignant is a cancerous tumor. One method called FNA "fine-needle aspiration" is done using a hypodermic needle that pierces the skin and draws out a sample. This procedure may be done under ultrasound or X-ray. A patient may even prefer to have a surgical biopsy to remove the lump.

Lymph Node Biopsy: Lymph Nodes are found behind the ears, groin, armpits, and neck, these are all part of the immune system. One procedure is using a FNA "fine-needle aspiration, using this needle it removes cells to look at and check under a microscope. CNB "core needle biopsy" is another method, with this method a needle is fitted with a special tip that goes through the skin and removes a sample of tissue. Open biopsy is another procedure where they cut the skin open and remove the lymph node; this allows your doctor to take a bigger sample than using a needle.

Don't be worried or afraid of a needle or small incision, this procedure could save your life. Be firm with others when it comes to your health, make things happen that you want done and don't leave those choices up to others. You will live a long healthy life in the end.