Depends on type.: Some cancers such as leukemias (malignancies of the blood and blood forming cells) can be diagnosed with routine blood work (venipuncture from arm) and might not need a true tissue biopsy to confirm. Most solid cancers (lung/breast/prostate/colon/kidney, etc...) require some form of biopsy to diagnose accurately.
Answered 5/7/2015
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Not definitively: Physical exam or Imaging studies like MRI and CT scans in some cases might give a very level of suspicion for cancer. However, the only way to be 100% sure is to look at the lesion itself by taking a biopsy sample and examining it under the microscope. Other things like infections can cause masses and need to be ruled out. Also, if it is cancer, biopsy tells what type and directs therapy.
Answered 3/22/2020
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