A breast biopsy is a diagnostic test in which your doctor takes a piece of tissue from inside your breast, usually from a mass, to evaluate it in the lab and see if there are cancer cells.
This test is usually done to confirm or mislead the diagnosis of breast cancer, especially when other tests, such as mammography or MRI, have indicated changes that may indicate cancer.
- The biopsy can be performed in the gynecologist’s office with the application of a local anesthesia and.
- Therefore.
- The woman does not need to be hospitalized.
The breast biopsy procedure is relatively simple, for this the doctor:
Your doctor may often use an ultrasound device to guide the needle to the nodule, making sure the sample is removed from the correct place.
In addition to a breast-sized biopsy, your doctor may also perform a lymph node biopsy, usually in the area of your lower throat.If this happens, the procedure will be similar to that of breast biopsy.
Depending on the size of the lump, the woman’s history, or the type of changes identified during mammography, your doctor may also choose to biopsy using minor surgery; in such cases, surgery is performed in a hospital under general anesthesia and may already include total removal of the nodule.
Therefore, if the presence of cancer is confirmed, the woman may no longer need surgery and may begin radio or chemotherapy treatment to remove leftover malignant cells left in the breast.
Because local anesthesia is used in the breast, biopsy usually does not cause pain, however, it is possible to feel pressure on the breast, which, in more sensitive women, can cause some discomfort.
Pain is usually felt only during small pricks the doctor makes in the skin to introduce anesthesia into the breast.
Within the first 24 hours after biopsy, it is recommended to avoid intense physical activity, but the woman can resume her normal daily tasks, such as working, buying or cleaning the house, for example; However, it is important to see a doctor if symptoms such as:
In addition, a small bruise appears where the needle has been inserted, so your doctor may prescribe an analgesic or anti-inflammatory, such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen, to relieve discomfort in the following days.
The result of breast biopsy should always be interpreted by the doctor who ordered the test, however, the results may indicate:
If the biopsy was performed with surgery and with nodule removal, it is common that in addition to indicating the presence or absence of cancer cells, the result also describes all the characteristics of the nodule.
When lymph node biopsy is positive and indicates the presence of tumor cells, this usually indicates that the cancer is already spreading from the breast to other places.
It can usually take up to 2 weeks for breast biopsy results, and the report is usually sent directly to the doctor, however, some labs may deliver the result to the woman he or she he or she, who should then make an appointment with the gynecologist to assess the importance of the result.