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Can A Mass Be Benign Or Are They Always Malignant?
Question: I had a colonoscopy yesterday. I have had some bleeding. No polyps but they did find something suspicious in the rectal area close to the anus and did a biopsy.
Now they want to do a CT scan.
My two-part question is: Can a mass be benign or are they always malignant? Is ordering a CT scan in a case like this routine (especially since I will need it removed either way)
Now they want to do a CT scan.
My two-part question is: Can a mass be benign or are they always malignant? Is ordering a CT scan in a case like this routine (especially since I will need it removed either way)
Brief Answer:
Detailed below.
Detailed Answer:
Hello!
Thank you for the query.
1. Of course the mass can be benign. It may be suspicious if it looks like a cancer (uneven surface, easy bleeding, painless, hard in touch). But still it might be benign. The best way to find out is a histopathology report. Until that, you can not be sure. From benign lesions it may be a polyp, inflammation, sentinel node (present with rectal fissure).
2. CT should be done in case of rectal cancer or rectal fistula. In other cases CT before biopsy results is pointless.
Hope this will help. Feel free to ask further questions.
Regards.
Detailed below.
Detailed Answer:
Hello!
Thank you for the query.
1. Of course the mass can be benign. It may be suspicious if it looks like a cancer (uneven surface, easy bleeding, painless, hard in touch). But still it might be benign. The best way to find out is a histopathology report. Until that, you can not be sure. From benign lesions it may be a polyp, inflammation, sentinel node (present with rectal fissure).
2. CT should be done in case of rectal cancer or rectal fistula. In other cases CT before biopsy results is pointless.
Hope this will help. Feel free to ask further questions.
Regards.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
I called the doctor's office. They want blood work to test for cancer antigens and a CT scan to check other organs. But they don't have the biopsy results yet. It seems to me they are operating under the assumption that it is cancer, but I'm a little surprised they didn't wait for the biopsy. What do you think?
Brief Answer:
.
Detailed Answer:
Usually we wait for biopsy results. Until it, nothing can be certain. Only when the large intestine tumor causes obstruction, it can be diagnosed/treated without biopsy result.
Maybe you do have some other symptoms like weight loss, abdominal pain, bleeding, blood in stool, nausea etc. In such case, they want to find possible cancer as mentioned symptoms can indicate it.
For sure CT is a good way to rule out other cancers like ovarian cancer. So as they want to do it, you should treat it as a good approach to diagnostics.
So in conclusion:
- no cancer can be diagnosed before biopsy result
- abdominal and pelvis CT is a good idea even if there is no cancer signs (it allows to detect early cancer) and you should have it done if you have such opportunity
Regards.
.
Detailed Answer:
Usually we wait for biopsy results. Until it, nothing can be certain. Only when the large intestine tumor causes obstruction, it can be diagnosed/treated without biopsy result.
Maybe you do have some other symptoms like weight loss, abdominal pain, bleeding, blood in stool, nausea etc. In such case, they want to find possible cancer as mentioned symptoms can indicate it.
For sure CT is a good way to rule out other cancers like ovarian cancer. So as they want to do it, you should treat it as a good approach to diagnostics.
So in conclusion:
- no cancer can be diagnosed before biopsy result
- abdominal and pelvis CT is a good idea even if there is no cancer signs (it allows to detect early cancer) and you should have it done if you have such opportunity
Regards.
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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