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. If your doctor finds something suspicious during a routine breast exam, mammogram, or ultrasound, they may recommend this test.
Possible signs of trouble include:
- Your doctor will recommend a breast biopsy procedure based on things like:
Your doctor may take a sample of tissue through surgery or through a procedure called a minimally invasive biopsy. Minimally invasive procedures offer:
Common minimally invasive biopsy procedures include:
Surgical procedures include:
You may also have an axillary node dissection. Your doctor takes out at least six of the lymph nodes under your arm and sends them to a lab to be checked for cancer. This is a very reliable way to check the extent of your cancer. But it can take longer to recover, and it can have complications like arm swelling (lymphedema) or nerve damage.
Axillary node dissection is only performed in select cases.
After surgery, watch for warning signs of an infection or swelling in your arm or hand. Call your doctor right away if you notice a buildup of fluid, redness, or other symptoms of infection.
Cells or tissues that are removed are given to a pathologist, a doctor who specializes in diagnosing suspicious tissue changes.
Breast biopsies are relatively safe. Risks include:
You may need to wear a special bra and dressings over the breast biopsy site for a few days after the procedure. You may have small strips of tape or stitches over the place your skin was cut. Don’t try to remove these yourself. Your medical team will tell you whether someone will take them out at a later appointment or they’ll fall off by themselves.
If surgical glue is used it will usually peel off by itself in 1 – 2 weeks. Your team may tell you to put medicine on the biopsy area or change the bandages at home. You’ll get a prescription for pain relief if you need it, but an over-the-counter pain reliever might be enough.
To lower the risk of bleeding, don’t take aspirin or products containing aspirin for the first 3 days after the procedure unless a doctor tells you to.
The area of the biopsy might be black and blue for a few days afterward, too. Call your doctor if you notice problems like:
Core needle biopsies are done with imaging so you usually confirm during the biopsy itself that the correct area was sampled. It is then marked with a clip that shows up on future mammograms or if an additional surgical biopsy is needed.
It may take several days for the pathologist to look at the sample from your biopsy and prepare a report on it. Your doctor will discuss the findings with you.
If the report says you have normal or benign (noncancerous) tissue, and your doctor still thinks the area is suspicious, you may need to have another procedure.
If the biopsy shows that you have breast cancer, the pathologist’s report will include details about the tumor. This will help your doctor recommend a treatment plan.
Call Michoes Medical Centre today at +256701364362 or visit us at our convenient location for more information and to schedule an appointment. Our team of experts is here to guide you through this process and provide the best possible care for your breast health.
Targeted CTA: Schedule Your Appointment Now!
Leave a Reply