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Is a culture the same as a biopsy?
I had an operation, the doctor did a culture instead of a biopsy. Does a culture show if cancer is present? Please explain each procedure to me and what they can show, thanks.
3 Answers
- SpreedogLv 79 years agoFavorite Answer
I agree with April and Kathleen.
Just wanted to comment that this sounds strange.
What was the operation ?
What was the culture taken from ?
A culture would be of no use in diagnosing a malignancy.
They must not have been looking for cancer in that procedure.
We know nothing of your disease - symptoms, area of body.
We don't even know your age .
Source(s): MD Medical Oncologist and Hematologist - a cancer and blood specialist doctor - with twenty years experience - Anonymous9 years ago
A culture is generally looking to see if any bacteria or fungi that can cause a problem are present. A biopsy is where a piece of tissue is removed and looked at under the microscope to see if abnormal cells are present. A biopsy can show if cancer is present but culture generally is not used for that purpose. You should be able to feel free to ask the doctor or nurse about what was done. Good luck.
- aprilLv 79 years ago
Not the same thing. A culture tests for bacteria or other microorganisms, not cancer.
