My Doctor Waited a Month to Send of Tissue Samples From Breast Reduction- Does This Effect the Validity of the Results?

I had a breast reduction at the start of December. The doctor's didn't send the tissue samples to the pathology lab until January 11th because they didn't have the right containers. Will my pathology results be valid?

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2 months post-op tissue

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2 Doctor Answers | Asked by dipperoo in Lumberton, TX

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Breast Reduction - My Doctor Waited a Month to Send of Tissue Samples From Breast Reduction- Does This Effect the Validity of th

Good question...but not one I can answer. You'll need to speak with the Pathology Laboratory to have this addressed. In general, leaving tissue open to the air risks a certain degree of dehydration - but that's unlikely to be the case. If the tissue was placed into an appropriate fixative (such as formalin), then waiting several weeks or even months may not invalidate the results. My suggestion: ask to speak to a representative of the Pathology... more

Breast Reduction and Tissue Samples?

Thank you for the question. You may have to check with the specific pathology group that performed the evaluation for a specific answer to your question. I think much of the answer will depend on the type of “fixation” used for the specimen ( for example formalin) and exactly what tests are routinely performed on breast reduction specimens. Some tests performed on breast tissue ( especially for hormonal receptor evaluation for breast cancers) are time... more