Breast cancer develops from the ducts or lobules that make up the breast glandular tissue or within the nipple. Breast lumps, whether benign or cancerous, may be detected during a physical self-examination, clinical exam or a mammogram. Following the detection of a breast lump, further analysis of the lump tissue allows doctors to assess whether a lump is cancerous. A breast biopsy--removing of a small piece of breast lump tissue--helps doctors diagnose different types of breast lumps and identify breast cancer.
Fine Needle Aspiration
The least invasive type of breast biopsy is a fine needle aspiration. As the name implies, doctors performing this biopsy insert a very fine needle into the breast lump and remove a small fraction of tissue inside. Fine need aspiration is also commonly used to diagnose breast cysts, liquid-filled breast lumps. During the biopsy procedure, the doctor will remove a few samples from inside the lump for analysis, with the entire procedure taking less than 15 minutes, according the University of California, San Francisco. Since the needle used in this type of biopsy is very small, patients receiving this type of biopsy do not typically develop scarring after the procedure.
Core Biopsy
Another breast biopsy option is a core needle biopsy. This type of biopsy uses a thicker needle than a fine needle aspiration and therefore provides more tissues for laboratory analysis. During a core needle biopsy, the doctor will hold the breast lump in place and insert the needle to remove each sample. The procedure is minimally invasive. It typically results in some bleeding and bruising but does not leave a scar after the procedure, according to Imaginis. It may not be a suitable procedure for examining small breast lumps, since a doctor may have difficulty aiming the needle into the lump.
Stereotactic Biopsy
A stereotactic breast biopsy is a biopsy option that allows doctors to use medical imaging to guide the needle into the breast lump. Since doctors performing a stereotactic biopsy can view the needle within the breast, a stereotactic biopsy allows doctors to take samples from very small breast lumps. During the procedure, doctors will take X-ray images of the breast from two angles, allowing for a three-dimensional view of the breast. The doctor then inserts the needle into the breast lump and removes a number of samples. A stereotactic breast biopsy is a minimally invasive procedure, according to the University of Rochester Medical Center, and does not typically lead to scarring.
