Biopsies - are they always potentially bad news?

[AnonymousBird]

A very dear friend just "dropped into conversation" this afternoon that she is due to have some biopsies on her face. It was very busy at school pick up and we were due at an optician appointment for DS, so I wasn't really in a position with children hanging off me etc to ask her more about it....

Is a biopsy generally potentially bad news, ie. something nasty is suspected?

Am worried and will definitely ask her when I next see her, hopefully in the morning, but thought I should try and find out more about it and what it might mean so I know how best to approach her and offer support etc in the right degree.

TIA.

I guess that something nasty is suspected and a biopsy then confirms whether it is - so it still could be something harmless. I think that when it gets to biopsy stage then it is perhaps more likely that there's something up (speaking from what I know of breast biopsies)

I've had a breast biopsy (benign), a skin biopsy (benign), and a uterine polyp biopsy (benign). So not necessarily!

No, it means that the thing being biopsied could be nasty. In a lot of cases, the biopsy shows that it isn't - but the only way to tell often is by taking cells to look at under the microscope.

And a lot of time for skin things, the biopsy can completly remove the offending thing, so no further treatment is needed

I work in a lab that processes biopsies. They are taken to rule out abnormalities, as well as confirm them. Just looking at something without a microscope cannot always give the diagnosis. Lots are benign.
Hope this helps

Thanks all for this info.

She isn't due for her appointment for at least another 3 weeks from what she (briefly) said, is that a normal lapse of time if something nasty might be suspected? Sounds like a long wait of not knowing.... but maybe that is completely normal?

Hi can anybody help me pls.

Ive been diagnosed with suspected cheilitis & dermatologist has prescribed metasone furovate 0.1% ointment & have used it at night for 3weeks but still have red,swollen,dry & sore bottom lip.Ive tried hydrocortisone cream & anclovior cream too but nothing is working & it's getting me down.Has anybody got any suggestions pls?

Si13
Hi can anybody help me pls??
Ive been diagnosed with suspected cheilitis & dermatologist has prescribed metasone furovate 0.1% ointment & have used it at night for 3weeks but still have red,swollen,dry & sore bottom lip.Ive tried hydrocortisone cream & anclovior cream too but nothing is working & it's getting me down.Has anybody got any suggestions pls?

Hi Anonymous, i've just had a skin/ mole biopsy.. yes 3 weeks normal time until initial consultant appointment from referral, then biopsy followed about fortnite later (which initially worried me as i thought theyd rushed it through, because they really suspected it was going to be bad news). Results can take 6-8 weeks..

Try not to worry though, theyre really on the ball it seems these days, and investigate anything'abnormal looking. My results came back yesterday and confirmed my mole was not cancerous, hooray! So no, biopsies are cautionary, and definitely not necessarily bad news!