Breast Biopsy

Breast Biopsy

• What is a breast biopsy?
• What kind of physician does a breast biopsy?
• Who should have a breast biopsy?
• In what setting is the breast biopsy done?
• What is the chance that a biopsy will show cancer?
• What may a benign result indicate?
• How is a suspicious breast growth discovered?
• What should the patient tell the physician about the growth?
• How does a physician confirm the presence of a breast growth?
• Is anesthesia needed for a biopsy?
• What about pain and complications?
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of non-surgical procedures versus surgical breast biopsies?
• What are the different types of breast biopsy procedures and what do they involve?
• How is a fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) done?
• How is a core needle biopsy (CNB) done?
• How is an excision biopsy of the breast done?
• What is the purpose of a breast biopsy?
• Breast Biopsy At A Glance

What is a breast biopsy?

A breast biopsy is a procedure in which part or all of a suspicious breast growth is removed and examined, usually for the presence of cancer. The growth sample is suctioned out through a needle or cut out using a surgical procedure. The sample is then examined and evaluated under a microscope to identify non-cancerous (benign) or cancerous (malignant) tissue.

Words used to refer to the growth before and after diagnosis may include lump, mass, lesion, and tumor.

What kind of physician does a breast biopsy?

Many physicians and healthcare practitioners can be involved in evaluating a woman for a breast biopsy. For example, breast abnormalities during a physical examination might be noticed by a family physician, internist, gynecologist or nurse practitioner. Women themselves are frequently the first to detect abnormalities in their breasts. Radiologists are specialists in interpreting x-rays such as mammograms, as well as other images. Radiologists or surgeons often perform the procedure to obtain the breast tissue sample. Anesthesiologists (specialists in administering anesthesia and monitoring a patient's vital signs) are sometimes necessary during surgical procedures. Pathologists are the specialists who examine and identify under a microscope the type of cells in the samples.

Who should have a breast biopsy?

Anyone, female or male, with a suspicious breast growth or other symptoms of breast cancer should undergo a biopsy. Although 99% of all breast cancers occur in females, males can and do get breast cancer. Therefore, men should regularly examine their breasts as females do for lumps or other cancer symptoms. (Males with the genetic disorder Klinefelter syndrome, which causes breast development, have approximately the same risk of developing breast cancer as females.)

In what setting is the breast biopsy done?

Breast biopsies are performed in the doctor's office, an outpatient facility, or a hospital operating room. The setting depends on the size and location of the growth, the patient's general health, and the type of biopsy performed. Because physicians can perform biopsies in a short time with minimal risk of serious complications, the patient usually does not need to remain hospitalized overnight unless an underlying health problem requires close monitoring.

What is the chance that a biopsy will show cancer?

About 80% of all biopsies done in the U.S. produce benign (not cancerous) results, according to the American Cancer Society.

What may a benign result indicate?

Among the most common benign growths in the breast are cysts (sacs filled with fluid or semisolid material), intraductal papillomas (small wart-like growths that project above a tissue surface), and lumps formed by fat necrosis (the death of tissue often as a result of trauma to the breast).

How is a suspicious breast growth discovered?

A suspicious breast growth may be found by a patient's self- examination, a physician's clinical examination, or a screening x-ray (mammogram).

Patients who discover a lump in a breast should see a physician for testing. They should also see a physician if they find a lump in an armpit or above a collarbone (either of which could indicate the presence of spreading cancer). Finally, a physician should be consulted if they have red or irritated breast skin, scaly skin, dimpling skin, swelling skin, nipple discharge other than milk, nipple retraction or inversion, nipple itching, a change in the size or shape of a breast, or breast pain. It is important to remember that these signs and symptoms do not necessarily indicate the presence of cancer.

Next: What should the patient tell the physician about the growth? »

Last Editorial Review: 4/11/2002

Source: MedicineNet.com
http://www.medicinenet.com/breast_biopsy/article.htm