NEWER, GENTLER BREAST BIOPSY HELPS DOCTORS DIAGNOSE BREAST CANCER WITHOUT OPEN SURGERY OR STITCHES

Women facing a breast biopsy because of a suspicious mammogram or small breast lump can now have a minimally invasive breast biopsy right in our imaging center. Bon Secours now offers women leading edge technology in stereotactic biopsies. This new service offers women a diagnostically reliable alternative to open surgical biopsy or core needle biopsy.

In the US, more than 1.6 million breast biopsies are performed each year and about 80% of these biopsies turn out to be benign. However, most of them are still being performed by open surgery, which lead to scarring, disfigurement of the breast and several hours at the hospital. The stereotactic biopsy can be performed in conjunction with a scheduled mammogram and is a much easier on a woman’s body by using ultrasound-imaging guidance to accurately pinpoint the suspicious tissue. Consequently, there is little to no scar tissue to distort future mammograms.

This stereotactic procedure involves a one-time insertion of a probe directly into the suspicious area of the breast through a tiny incision. Once inside, the probe gently vacuums, cuts, and removes the suspicious tissue for further examination. No stitches are required, using only a small adhesive bandage to cover the incision. With this method, doctors can biopsy a wide range of breast abnormalities, from microcalcifications (tiny deposits of calcium within the breast) to lumps on the surface of the breast, both of which may indicate cancer.

For more information on stereotactic breast biopsies, call 889-CARE.

TYPES OF BIOPSIES

Procedure	Mammotome®	Core Needle	Open Surgical
Description	Tissue sample obtained with a needle using gentle vacuum, which draws, cuts and removes tissue.	Tissue sample obtained with a needle using a spring loaded device which cuts and removes tissue	Incision made in the breast and a large sample is cut and removed. In some cases, a wire is inserted into the breast to locate the lesion.