Sinus Pollyps ? Please help.

[John12879]

Today my girlfriend went to a new doctor for the new insuracene for her new job. He informed her that she had Pollyps in her nose, which explains all of her sinus problems over the last few years, which we had thought was a side affect of her addiction to nasal spray. She, upon hearing Pollyps, was immediatly nervous, fearing cancer. But the Doctor told her that the pollyps were not cancerous, and that he would give her the name of an ear,nose, and throat specialist to take care of them. She was so rattled by the pollyps, and so releived of the no cancer diagnosis, she didn't think to ask more questions at the time. My question is, how can the doctor know that the pollyps aren't cancerous just by looking at them ? Wouldn't a biopsy or something need to be done ? I am extremely nervous, and any help or clarification would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[laterald]

A related discussion, nasal pollyps was started.

[Ellis7]

Here's a link on nasal polyps:
http://www.merck.com/mrkshared/mmanual_home2/sec19/ch221/ch221h.jsp  Excerpt:

"Polyps are common teardrop-shaped growths that form around the openings to the sinus cavities. A polyp resembles a peeled, seedless grape. Unlike polyps in the colon or bladder, polyps in the nose are not tumors and do not suggest an increased risk of cancer. They are merely a reflection of inflammation, although there may be a family history of the problem. The doctor may perform a biopsy of the polyp to ensure that it is not a cancer.

Polyps may develop during infections and may disappear after the infection subsides, or they may begin slowly and persist. Many people are not aware that they have nasal polyps, although they may have nasal congestion, obstruction, drainage, and chronic infections."

[National Jewish]

While your girlfriend