When other tests show that you might have breast cancer, you will probably need to have a biopsy. Needing a breast biopsy doesn’t necessarily mean you have cancer. Most biopsy results are not cancer, but a biopsy is the only way to find out for sure. During a biopsy, a doctor will remove small pieces from the suspicious area so they can be looked at in the lab to see if they contain cancer cells.

Types of breast biopsies

There are different kinds of breast biopsies. Some are done using a hollow needle, and some use an incision (cut in the skin). Each has pros and cons. The type you have depends on a number of things, like:

• How suspicious the breast change looks
• How big it is
• Where it is in the breast
• If there is more than one
• Any other medical problems you might have
• Your personal preferences

For most suspicious areas in the breast, a needle biopsy (rather than a surgical biopsy) can be done. Ask the doctor which type of biopsy you will have and what you can expect during and after the procedure.

Fine needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy

In an FNA biopsy, a very thin, hollow needle attached to a syringe is used to withdraw (aspirate) a small amount of tissue from a suspicious area. The needle used for an FNA biopsy is thinner than the one used for blood tests.

Core needle biopsy

A core biopsy uses a larger needle to sample breast changes felt by the doctor or seen on an ultrasound, mammogram, or MRI. This is often the preferred type of biopsy if breast cancer is suspected.

• Suspicious lesions require tissue diagnosis
• Ultrasound guided or Stereotactic (x ray) guided

Why it’s done

• Your doctor may recommend a breast biopsy if:
• You or your doctor feels a lump or thickening in your breast, and your doctor suspects breast cancer
• Your mammogram shows a suspicious area in your breast
• An ultrasound scan reveals a suspicious finding
• Your breast MRI reveals a suspicious finding
• You have unusual nipple or areolar changes, including crusting, scaling, dimpling skin or a bloody discharge