What Is a Breast Biopsy?
A breast biopsy is a procedure in which your doctor takes out cells or a small piece of tissue from part of your breast. They look at it under a microscope for signs of cancer. It’s the only way to know for sure if a possible trouble spot is cancer.
Why Is a Breast Biopsy Done?
If your doctor finds something suspicious during a routine breast exam, mammogram, or ultrasound, they may recommend this test. Possible signs of trouble include:
- A lump or mass that you can feel in your breast
- Masses filled with fluid (cysts) or small calcium deposits (microcalcifications)
- Nipple problems like bloody discharge
Types of Breast Biopsy Procedures
Your doctor will recommend a breast biopsy procedure based on things like:
- The size of the lump or suspicious area
- Where it is
- Whether there’s more than one unusual area
- If you have other medical problems
- What you prefer
Your doctor may take a sample of tissue through surgery or through a procedure called a minimally invasive biopsy. Minimally invasive procedures offer:
- Less scarring
- Less pain
- Lower risk of infection
- Possibly lower hospital costs
- Shorter recovery time
- Return to typical daily activities right away
Common minimally invasive biopsy procedures include:
- Fine-needle aspiration. Your doctor uses a small needle to take a sample of cells from the area in question. If the lump is a cyst (a fluid-filled sac), the procedure may cause it to collapse. This fluid will be looked at under a microscope for any signs of cancer. If the lump is solid, cells can be smeared onto slides for examination.
- Ultrasound-guided core biopsy. Your doctor puts a needle into the breast tissue. Ultrasound helps confirm the exact location of the potential trouble spot so the needle goes to the right place. Tissue samples are then taken through the needle. Ultrasound can see the difference between cysts and solid lesions.
- MRI-guided core biopsy. MRI imaging is used to direct the placement of a needle into the area of breast tissue to be biopsied. Tissue samples are taken through the needle.
- Vacuum-assisted breast biopsy. A suction device gets more fluid and cells through the needle. It can cut down on the number of times the needle needs to be inserted to get samples.
- Stereotactic biopsy. The medical team centers the area to be tested in the window of a specially designed instrument. Mammogram films called SCOUT films are taken so a specialist called a radiologist can examine the area to be biopsied. After using medicine to numb the area, the radiologist makes a small opening in your skin. They put a needle into the breast tissue, and computerized pictures help confirm the exact placement. Tissue samples are taken through the needle. It’s common for medical professionals to take multiple tissue samples (about three to five).
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Surgical procedures include:
- Open excisional biopsy. This is surgery to remove an entire lump. The tissue is then studied under a microscope. If your doctor takes a section of normal breast tissue all the way around a lump (called a lumpectomy), the biopsy is also considered a breast cancer treatment. In this technique, they may put a wire through a needle into the area to be biopsied. An X-ray helps make sure it’s in the right place, and a small hook at the end of the wire keeps it in position. The surgeon uses this wire as a guide to find the suspicious tissue.