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Breast Cancer/pre cancerous cells

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Expert: - 2/3/2009


Question
my freind as been told after having a mammogram she needed to have a core biopsy, because pre canerous cells were present she as had this and now her doctor as told her she needs to have them removed and maybe radium at a later date why is this when some treatments are to take tablets

Answer
I think some misunderstandings are involved here. A mammogram can not show "precancerous cells". To detect such cells studies of tissue biopsies with a microscope are needed. But a mammogram can show a lesion that MAY be a cancer. That would make a biopsy necessary to check if there is a cancer or not. That seems to have been done here and a biopsy has been done. Something (a cancer in situ - cancer stage 0 - that your friend may not have understood what it is and thought that it is precancerous cells?) has been found. I believe it to have been such a cancer in situ since what her dr. suggests is standard treatment for a cancer in situ, a surgical lumpectomy followed by radiation therapy. However in order to be on the safe side if possible let me read her mammography report and her biopsy pathology report here!
You can copy them into your question by scanning the reports or by typing them in. There is NO medical treatment for such breast lesions as you assume!

Breast Cancer

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Claes-Gustaf Nordquist, M.D.

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I`m a doctor of medicine and a specialist in radiation therapy and medical oncology. I have long experience in diagnostics and treatment of breast tumours.

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I'm a Doctor of Medicine and specialist in Medical Oncology and Radiation Therapy educated & trained in Sweden. Now retired. Background in Radiation Therapy, Medical Oncology, Radiation Protection, Nuclear Medicine, Diagnostic Radiology, Gynecological Oncology, Clinical Pathology, Clinical Cytology,Hematology and Internal Medicine. M.D. from the faculty of medicine, Royal Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden. Have also been an exchange student at the Hebrew University, Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem Israel. Former medical consultant, Swedish National Board of Radiation Protection. Former Police Surgeon and Medical Examiner, Stockholm Police Department. Former Chief Medical Officer, The Royal Guards, The Royal Horse Guards and the Royal Household Brigade, Royal Swedish Army Medical Corps.You can also reach me on: http://www.lifestylerescue.com/expert/health-fitness-advice/dr-claes-gustaf/128 I have no restrictions on the number of questions there.

I also answer questions about Oncology (General Cancer), General History, Military History, Brain Tumors, Colon Cancer

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I'm a medical doctor and specialist in medical oncology and radiation therapy.

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