Will thyroid cancer spread if surgery is not performed immediately after a biopsy?
Thyroid cancer, after undergoing a fine needle biopsy, may spread if surgery cannot be performed immediately, which is a risk of the thyroid cancer biopsy. Fine needle biopsy of the thyroid is a method for obtaining histopathological results and is a gold standard for the clinical diagnosis of thyroid cancer. A biopsy is an invasive examination that causes some degree of harm to the body, hence, informed consent must be obtained from the patient before proceeding. After the biopsy, complications such as local bleeding, swelling, pain, and infection may occur, and the spread of cancer cells at the biopsy site is a significant adverse effect. Therefore, for most thyroid cancer patients, it is advisable to arrange surgery as soon as possible after a biopsy to prevent the disease from spreading.