If the doctor recommends a biopsy for breast cancer screening, surgery may not be necessary. Patients may be able to undergo a minimally invasive biopsy. Consult your doctor to determine if a biopsy is acceptable.
What is the difference?
Since no surgery is performed, minimally invasive biopsies have the following characteristics:
- Minimal scarring
- Reduced risk of pain and infection
- Possibly lower hospitalization costs
- Short recovery time
- Immediate return to daily activities
Types of minimally invasive biopsies
Patients may receive a fine needle aspiration biopsy, which is the least invasive biopsy. The doctor punctures a small sterile needle into the examined area and obtains tissue, which may be attempted several times.
Hollow-core needle biopsy is similar, but the physician uses a larger needle.
Vacuum-assisted breast biopsy is also minimally invasive, and the suction device allows more fluid and cells to be obtained through the biopsy needle, which can reduce the number of biopsy needles that need to be inserted during sampling.
Often, patients may undergo imaging-guided puncture biopsies that require the use of both biopsy needles and imaging technology.
Real-time imaging can guide the physician to the exact location of the suspected lesion area. Radiologists are usually responsible for this examination, and there are several methods:
Ultrasound. Imaging of the breast using sound waves. The patient lies flat on a padded examination bed, a small amount of water-soluble gel is applied to the skin in the area of examination, and a probe similar to a small ultrasound plate is placed on the skin.
Sometimes magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is used to locate areas of abnormality.
Stereotaxy, which uses a special low-dose mammogram, is used to locate abnormal tissue. The physician places the area to be examined in the center of the plate on the compressed chest, and a mammogram is performed for guidance.
The patient will lie flat on the specially designed exam bed. The bed is elevated, and one of the openings allows the physician to perform the biopsy from underneath the bed. If for any reason it is not possible to lie flat, the examination can be done sitting in a chair.
During the examination, the physician will administer a local anesthetic to numb the area to be examined. A small incision is then made in the skin. Imaging is used to confirm the exact location of the mass, and a sterile biopsy needle is inserted into the tissue for sampling. When finished, a sterile strip and small adhesive bandage is applied to the skin.
What next?
Regardless of the method used to collect the tissue, after the tissue is removed, it will be looked at under a microscope to determine if cancer cells are present. The results are usually available in about 1 week, and your doctor will tell you if you have cancer.