--- description: Don’t go overboard on Dr. Google title: What to Do If You Have a Cancer Scare image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf12a35cd9b5c6a4f/6987870fcd1bba9ee46f60fb/530067419-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1080&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Health](/section/health/) ## Health Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Cancer](/tag/cancer/) ## Cancer Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # What to Do If You Have a Cancer Scare by [Health.com](/author/health-com/) ## Health.com Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 10, 2015 1:00 PM CUT  USA, New Jersey, Jersey City, Check up visit in doctor's office USA, New Jersey, Jersey City, Check up visit in doctor's officeGetty Images by [Health.com](/author/health-com/) ## Health.com Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 10, 2015 1:00 PM CUT Late last month, Angelina Jolie announced that she had surgery to remove her ovaries and fallopian tubes with the aim of [reducing her cancer risk](http://news.health.com/2015/03/24/angelina-jolie-cancer-preventing-surgery/ "undefined"). In her [_New York Times_ op-ed](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/24/opinion/angelina-jolie-pitt-diary-of-a-surgery.html "undefined"), she noted that she had recently had a cancer scare: Her doctor was concerned about some unusual blood test results, and sent her for further scans. “I went through what I imagine thousands of other women have felt,” she wrote. “I told myself to stay calm, to be strong, and that I had no reason to think I wouldn’t live to see my children grow up and to meet my grandchildren.” Fortunately, the follow-up tests showed no signs of cancer. Chances are at least once in your life you’ll have some sort of cancer scare—a [strange mole](http://www.health.com/health/article/0,,20723697,00.html "undefined") that needs to be biopsied, a repeat [mammogram](http://www.health.com/health/article/0,,20824601,00.html "undefined"), an [abnormal Pap smear](http://www.health.com/health/article/0,,20411484,00.html "undefined"). In most cases, it’s nothing to worry about: “This happens every day in doctors’ offices all across America,” says Richard Wender, MD, chief cancer control officer at the American Cancer Society. But it can be hard to stay calm when it’s actually happening to _you._ Here are five things to keep in mind: **Take a step back** [Abnormal cancer screening results](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17626704 "undefined") happen all the time: As many as 35% of women over the age of 40 report having had an abnormal Pap smear or mammogram at some point. “The most common resolution of that abnormal test is finding that you _don’t_ have cancer,” Dr. Wender says. Remember, the reason these tests have such high cancer-detection rates is because they screen women for any small thing—like [calcification on a mammogram](http://news.health.com/2013/07/30/can-some-women-safely-skip-breast-surgery/ "undefined")—that could potentially indicate cancer. **Read more:** [19 Medical Tests Everyone Needs](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20852416,00.html?xid=time-cancer-040715 "undefined") **Make sure you’re hearing your doctor** “Sometimes, when I explain a screening test result to a patient, I can sense that she’s so anxious she’s not processing what I’m saying,” says Dr. Wender. Research shows that almost half of the [details remembered from a doctor’s visit](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC539473/ "undefined") are incorrect. Don’t rely on your memory, especially at an emotional time like this. Either jot down exactly what the doctor says (and don’t be afraid to have them repeat it) or make sure a friend or family member is either in the office with you or on the phone when you speak to your physician. **Read more:** [What Doctors Don’t Tell You (But Should)](http://www.health.com/health/article/0,,20689582,00.html?xid=time-cancer-040715 "undefined") **Try not to stress about additional waiting** If suspicious mammogram findings mean your doctor recommends a biopsy, don’t worry if it’s several weeks away. “Waiting three weeks will not change the prognosis and outcome at all if it does turn out to be cancer,” says Dr. Wender. You also shouldn’t necessarily be alarmed if your doctor doesn’t recommend more invasive testing—such as a [colposcopy](http://www.health.com/health/article/0,,20411484,00.html "undefined") or biopsy—and instead suggests simply returning for follow-up screening in six months. “Oftentimes a doctor or technician will see something that doesn’t look like cancer, but they just want to double check it in a few months to be safe,” explains Dr. Wender. **Read more:** [A Complete Guide to Breast Cancer Screening](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20589679,00.html?xid=time-cancer-040715 "undefined") **Don’t go overboard on** [**Dr. Google**](http://news.health.com/2012/07/30/diagnosing-yourself-is-bad-idea/ "undefined") Sometimes, Google can be reassuring: “If you type in ‘abnormal pap smear’ or ‘abnormal mammogram’ or even ‘[suspicious mole](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20307251,00.html "undefined"),’ you’ll see how common the [false positive](http://news.health.com/2014/04/22/false-positive-mammograms-dont-deter-women-from-future-screening-study/ "undefined") rate is,” says Dr. Wender. But other times, you’ll just scare yourself unnecessarily. “I had a patient recently who had some tests come back suggestive of a very lethal form of uterine cancer,” recalls Dr. Wender. “When I called her, I said, ‘Don’t research it on the Internet. Just don’t do it.’ She didn’t—and six weeks later, when we learned after a surgical biopsy that the results were benign, she was tremendously relieved.” **Read more:** [9 Scary Symptoms You Don’t Need to Worry About](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20746305,00.html?xid=time-cancer-040715 "undefined") **Ask lots of questions** If you’ve got fears, articulate them. “If you ask your doctor what the likelihood is that your test result indicates cancer, they may not have exact numbers but they should be able to respond to you in a general way, which is usually reassuring,” says Dr. Wender. And if they brush off your worries, or refuse to answer you, it may be time to seek out another doctor—or at least get a second opinion. **Read more:** [How Good Is Your Doctor?](http://www.health.com/health/article/0,,20732242,00.html?xid=time-cancer-040715 "undefined") [_This article originally appeared on Health.com._](http://news.health.com/2015/04/06/what-to-do-when-you-have-a-cancer-scare/ "undefined") _Read next:_ [_This Is What Getting Cancer Looks Like on Social Media_](http://time.com/3765061/getting-cancer-social-media/?iid=time%5Freadnext "undefined") [_Listen to the most important stories of the day._](http://time.com/newsletter/the-brief/?sl%5Fautoplay=true&xid=spl-fullbrief-article "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3774678/cancer-scare-plan/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3774678/cancer-scare-plan/"},"headline":"What to Do If You Have a Cancer Scare","datePublished":"2015-04-10T13:00:31.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T05:46:43.890Z","description":"Don’t over-rely on Dr. Google","url":"https://time.com/3774678/cancer-scare-plan/","keywords":["Cancer","Breast Cancer","Healthcare","Doctor","medical"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf12a35cd9b5c6a4f/6987870fcd1bba9ee46f60fb/530067419-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Health.com","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/health-com/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf12a35cd9b5c6a4f/6987870fcd1bba9ee46f60fb/530067419-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"doctor-patient-standing","caption":"doctor-patient-standing","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/cancer/","name":"Cancer"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3774678/cancer-scare-plan/","name":"What to Do If You Have a Cancer Scare"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Angelina Jolie Had Her Ovaries Removed Due To Cancer Risk","description":"Angelina Jolie opens up about having her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed in an essay in The New York Times.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/PX01UmjB/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-03-24T13:55:10.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/PX01UmjB.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3774678/cancer-scare-plan/","duration":"PT1M28S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3774678/cancer-scare-plan/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```