Stereotactic breast biopsy provides alternative to surgical biopsy
The only definitive way to determine if an abnormality is cancerous or not, is with a breast biopsy. This requires the removal of breast tissue for a pathology exam. In 70 to 80 percent of the cases, the biopsies prove benign. If it is cancerous, however, it is critical to determine the type and stage of the disease as early as possible because more treatment options are available and complete recovery is more likely.
A stereotactic breast biopsy is a procedure that can be used in some instances, as an alternative to more invasive surgical biopsies. With stereotactic biopsy a radiologist obtains tissue samples to send to the pathologist. You will lie on your stomach during the procedure with your breast compressed so the lesion in the breast can be located. A local anesthetic is injected and a small incision is made so the tissue can be removed. As with surgical biopsy, a pathologist evaluates the tissue to determine if it is malignant (cancerous) or benign. A stereotactic breast biopsy does not require hospitalization or general anesthesia.
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Read our Fast Facts for answers to your questions, like those below.
- What will my stereotactic biopsy be like?
- How do I prepare for stereotactic biopsy?
- My doctor told me I needed to get more tests. Why?
- What are some of the risk factors associated with breast cancer?
- Why is early detection so important?
