Breast Biopsy: How It Is Done

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How It Is Done

Fine-needle aspiration biopsy

A fine-needle aspiration biopsy may be done by an internist, family medicine doctor, radiologist, or a general surgeon. The biopsy may be done in your doctor's office, a clinic, or the hospital.

You will take off your clothing above the waist. A paper or cloth gown will cover your shoulders. The biopsy will be done while you sit or lie on an examination table. Your hands may be at your sides or raised above your head (depending on which position makes it easiest to find the lump).

Your doctor numbs your skin with a shot of numbing medicine where the biopsy needle will be inserted. Once the area is numb, a needle is put through your skin into your breast tissue. Ultrasound may be used to guide the placement of the needle during the biopsy. If the lump is a cyst, the needle will take out fluid and tissue samples. If the lump is solid, a sample of tissue is taken. The biopsy sample is sent to a lab to be looked at under a microscope. You must lie still while the biopsy is done.

The needle is then removed. Pressure is put on the needle site to stop any bleeding. A bandage is put on. A fine-needle aspiration biopsy takes about 5 to 15 minutes.

See an illustration of a fine-needle breast biopsy .

Core needle biopsy

A core needle biopsy may be done by an internist, family medicine doctor, radiologist, or general surgeon. The biopsy may be done in your doctor's office, a clinic, or the hospital.

You will take off your clothing above the waist. A paper or cloth gown will cover your shoulders. The biopsy will be done while you sit or lie on an examination table. Your hands may be at your sides or raised above your head (depending on which position makes it easiest to find the lump).

Your doctor numbs your skin with a shot of numbing medicine where the biopsy needle will be inserted. Once the area is numb, a small cut is made in your skin. A needle with a special tip is put into the breast tissue. Ultrasound may be used to guide the placement of the needle during the biopsy. You must lie still while the biopsy is done.

The needle is removed. Pressure is put on the needle site to stop any bleeding. A bandage is put on. This may be repeated several times to make sure enough tissue samples were collected.

A core needle biopsy takes about 15 minutes.

See an illustration of a core needle breast biopsy .

Stereotactic biopsy

A stereotactic biopsy is done by a radiologist. The biopsy is done in a radiology department.

You will take off your clothing above the waist. A paper or cloth gown will cover your shoulders. You will lie on your stomach on a special table that has a hole for your breast to hang through. A mammogram is used to find the exact site for the biopsy.

Your doctor numbs your skin with a shot of numbing medicine where the biopsy needle will be inserted. Once the area is numb, a small cut is made in the skin. With a special X-ray to guide the needle, it is put into the suspicious area. Usually, more than one sample is taken through the same cut. You must lie still while the biopsy is done.

The small cut made for the needle does not usually need stitches. Pressure is put on the needle site to stop any bleeding. A bandage is put on. A small metal marker (clip) is usually placed in the area where the biopsy sample was taken. This is done to locate the exact spot where the tissue sample was taken.

This type of breast biopsy takes about 60 minutes. However, most of this time is needed for the mammogram and finding the area for the biopsy.

See an illustration of a stereotactic breast biopsy .

Open biopsy

An open biopsy is done by a general surgeon, gynecologist, or family medicine doctor. The biopsy may be done in a surgery clinic or the hospital.

You will need to take off all or most of your clothes above the waist. You will be given a gown to use during the biopsy. The biopsy will be done while you sit or lie on an examination table. Your hands may be at your sides or raised above your head (depending on which position makes it easiest to find the lump).

An open biopsy can be done using local or general anesthesia. If local anesthesia is used, you may also be given a sedative.

If you have general anesthesia, an intravenous (IV) line will be put in your arm to give you medications. You will not be awake during the biopsy.

After the breast is numb (or you are unconscious), your doctor makes a cut through the skin and into the breast tissue to the lump. If a probe was placed using mammogram to mark the biopsy site, your doctor will take a biopsy from the area at the tip of the probe.

Stitches are used to close the skin, and a bandage is put on. You will be taken to a recovery room until you are fully awake. You can usually return to your normal activities the next day.

An open biopsy takes about 60 minutes.

See an illustration of an open breast biopsy .

Last updated:	May 01, 2007
Author:	Maria G. Essig, MS, ELS
Reviewed By:	Anne C. Poinier, MD - Internal Medicine, Brent Shoji, MD - General Surgery
Editors:	Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA, Tracy Landauer