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There are a few ways to do a
There are a few ways to do a biopsy, for instance 1) fine needle aspiration (FNA), 2) incisional, and 3) excisional. The last one is the only one that allows a pathologist to make a definitive diagnosis.
As for the ultrasound, no- an ultrasound can not indicate whether or not a lymph node is cancerous unless there's a visible tumor. Ultrasounds can show the presence of a tumor, or a mass, but they can't, like a PET scan, determine a cancerous lymph node.
It's a wonder why a doctor
It's a wonder why a doctor would send people for an ultasound when it doesn't pick any of this stuff up!!! It's very frustrating.
Thanks again Ross :)
I agree it must be
I agree it must be frustrating. I can't really imagine what the doctor is thinking except, maybe, they didn't see anything in the clinical exam that they found overly alarming, and an ultrasound is a very non-invasive test that either makes the patient feel better or tells the doctor enough to clarify or rule out whatever they're thinking it might be. But again, as a diagnostic tool in lymphoma, it's very very rare.