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Vacuum-assisted biopsy with Mammotome® Biopsy System
Core needle breast biopsy
Open surgical breast biopsy
Fine needle aspiration breast biopsy
In the past, a biopsy required an open surgical procedure that could leave an external scar, cause a breast deformity or even interfere with future mammograms.
The past decade has seen dramatic improvements in breast biopsies, giving physicians and patients new choices in determining whether breast cancer is present. Most women can now receive an accurate breast biopsy without the need for an open surgical procedure.
Today, women have minimally invasive breast biopsy options that offer advantages over open surgery. Knowing your breast biopsy options can help you gain a definitive breast cancer diagnosis while minimizing pain, scarring and recovery time.
Talk to your doctor about which of these breast biopsy options are right for you:
| Open Surgical Biopsy |
Core Needle Biopsy |
Vacuum-assisted Biopsy |
- A 1- to 2-inch incision is made to remove a tissue sample, as large as a golf ball, to be tested.
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- A spring-loaded needle is inserted 4 to 6 times to cut and remove small pieces of tissue for testing.
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- A small probe is inserted once and gently vacuums and removes tissue for testing.
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- Highly accurate due to sufficient tissue sample size.
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- Less accurate as sample size may underestimate diagnosis.
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- Highly accurate due to sufficient tissue sample size.
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- Surgery includes stitches and surgical bandage.
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- No stitches; small adhesive bandage only.
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- No stitches; small adhesive bandage only.
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- External scar 1 to 2 inches; internal scar can interfere with future mammograms.
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- Minimal or no scar; no interference with future mammograms.
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- Minimal or no scar; no interference with future mammograms.
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- Patient is under general anesthesia (unconscious); may experience some pain and soreness.
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- Patient is awake; no recovery time; resume work and normal activities immediately.
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- Patient is awake; no recovery time; resume work and normal activities immediately.
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- Performed in an operating room or outpatient center.
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- Performed in a doctor's office or outpatient center.
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- Performed in a doctor's office or outpatient center.
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| * Not all women are candidates for these breast biopsy options. Consult with a physician to determine the breast biopsy option that meets your needs. |
Vacuum-assisted biopsy with Mammotome® Biopsy System
In a breast biopsy performed with the minimally invasive Mammotome® Biopsy System, a small probe is inserted into the breast through an incision about the size of a match head. A vacuum is used to gently draw, cut and collect tissue in the probe's hollow chamber. This biopsy technique enables several samples to be acquired, resulting in a highly accurate breast cancer diagnosis. Since multiple tissue samples are obtained without removing and reinserting the probe, there is less internal scarring,
which minimizes interference with future monitoring and diagnosis of breast abnormalities.
Following a breast biopsy using the Mammotome Biopsy System, the patient is typically sent home with a small adhesive bandage to cover the incision. The breast biopsy can be completed in less than one hour and is performed in an outpatient setting or doctor's office without general anesthesia or stitches.
Core needle breast biopsy
In a core needle biopsy, the physician makes a small skin incision through which a needle is inserted into the lesion to obtain sample tissue. The hollow spring-loaded device is "fired" repeatedly into the abnormality to collect a sufficient amount of breast tissue for analysis. Usually, 4 to 6 samples are taken (4 to 6 insertions). This biopsy procedure is performed in an outpatient setting or doctor's office without general anesthesia or stitches.
Open surgical breast biopsy
Prior to recent biopsy advancements, physicians and surgeons routinely recommended open surgical breast biopsies. While this remains an accurate procedure, it is the most invasive biopsy procedure and results in external and internal scarring. Most patients recover quickly from a breast biopsy surgery; however, some may experience post-operative pain or minor disfiguring of the breast. This is considered general surgery, which requires an operating room, general anesthesia in some cases, and stitches. Because of the hospital and surgical resources needed to perform the operation, open surgical biopsies are more costly than other breast biopsy methods. Because most breast biopsies are for small breast abnormalities that cannot be felt (non-palpable lesions), open surgical biopsies are sometimes viewed as excessive.
Fine needle aspiration breast biopsy
Unlike tissue biopsy procedures, such as vacuum-assisted, core needle or open surgical biopsies that allow tissue within the abnormality to be compared to surrounding tissue for a more accurate diagnosis, a Fine Needle Aspiration (FNA) provides information about cellular material. An FNA biopsy procedure uses a thin needle on a syringe to draw fluid and/or cellular material from a breast abnormality. FNA is most often used to aspirate, or drain fluid, from benign (non-cancerous) fluid-filled cysts. However, the extracted fluid can be examined by a pathologist to confirm whether the abnormality is benign or requires further testing.
Fine Needle Aspiration biopsy procedures are generally performed by a physician in the office. If the breast lump is small and cannot be felt, the procedure can be performed using stereotactic or ultrasound imaging guidance. During the procedure, a long, thin needle is inserted through the breast into the abnormality for sample extraction. Because the needles used for Fine Needle Aspiration biopsies are smaller than needles used to draw blood, local anesthesia is not required.
If the breast abnormality turns out to be solid or the fluid collected looks suspicious, your doctor will likely recommend an additional biopsy. The larger samples collected through other biopsy methods allow tissue within the abnormality to be compared to surrounding tissue for a more accurate diagnosis.