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Breast Biopsy Defined

Based on initial breast exams, your physician may decide that no further tests are needed and no treatment is necessary. In such cases, your physician may want to check you regularly to watch for any changes.

Often, however, the physician must remove fluid or tissue from the breast to be sent to the lab to look for cancer cells.

The procedure, called a biopsy, may be performed using a needle to acquire a tissue sample or by a surgical method.

A biopsy is a procedure performed to remove tissue or cells from the body for examination under a microscope. A breast biopsy is a procedure in which samples of breast tissue are removed with a special biopsy needle or during surgery to determine if cancer or other abnormal cells are present.

Biopsies may be performed under local or general anesthesia. There are several types of breast biopsy procedures. The type of biopsy performed will depend upon the location and size of the breast lump or abnormality.

Types of breast biopsy procedures include, but are not limited to, the following:

fine needle aspiration biopsy - a very thin needle is placed into the lump or suspicious area to remove a small sample of fluid and/or tissue. No incision is necessary. A fine needle aspiration biopsy may be performed to help to differentiate a cyst from a lump.

core needle biopsy - a large needle is guided into a lump or suspicious area to remove a small cylinder of tissue (also called a core). No incision is necessary.

surgical biopsy (also called an open biopsy) - a surgeon removes part or all of a lump or suspicious area through an incision into the breast. There are two types of surgical biopsies. During an incision biopsy, a small part of the lump is removed; whereas during an excisional biopsy, the entire lump is removed.

In some cases, if the breast lump is very small and deep and is difficult to locate, the wire localization technique may be used during surgery. With this technique, a special wire is placed into the lump under x-ray guidance. The surgeon follows this wire to help locate the breast lump.

There are special instruments and techniques that may be used to guide the needles and to assist with biopsy procedures. These include, but are not limited to, the following:

stereotactic biopsy - stereotactic biopsy finds the exact location of a breast lump or suspicious area by using a computer and mammogram results to create a three-dimensional (3D) picture of the breast. A sample of tissue is removed with a needle.

Mammotome® breast biopsy system (also called vacuum-assisted biopsy) - a type of tube is inserted into the breast lump or mass. The breast tissue is gently suctioned into the tube, and a rotating knife removes the tissue.

ultrasound-guided biopsy - a technique that uses a computer and a transducer that sends out ultrasonic sounds waves to create images of the breast lump or mass. This technique helps to guide the needle biopsy.

advanced breast biopsy instrumentation (ABBI) - uses a rotating knife and cylinder to remove a large sample of tissue. Although this type of procedure has not received widespread acceptance, it is often possible to remove the entire breast lesion with this method.

sentinel node biopsy - a procedure used to determine if cancer cells have spread to the lymph nodes. It involves injecting a dye and/or radioactive substance near the tumor.

Always consult your physician for more information.