Breast cancer is amongst the most common causes of Death in females world wide. Early detection of Breast cancer is the best way to offer complete treatment to the patients so that they can lead a normal life after cure.

Mammography and ultrasound are the most common investigations which are done as screening of normal women or as diagnostic tests whenever women present with some complaint in Breast.

Whenever there is a suspicious lump, nodule or an area of suspicion in either the mammogram or ultrasound it is imperative to perform pathological examination of that area to conclude whether it is cancerous or not. This is done by Biopsy which should preferably be done under ultrasound or stereotactic ( mammography ) guidance.
Ultrasound guidance is the easiest and most comfortable way of performing a biopsy.

When is Biopsy required?

Breast Biopsy is required whenever there is a lump or any lesion in the breast which is appearing suspicious on Imaging by Ultrasound, mammography or MRI. It is necessary to prove whether the lesion under evaluation is cancer or not. For that Biopsy is a must.

Who does the Biopsy?

Ultrasound guided Breast Biopsy is performed by a Breast Interventional Radiologist. The lesion is located by ultrasound and the needle is visualised during the procedure going into the lump and biopsy is taken after confirming the position of the needle.

What is the Procedure?

The procedure of Breast Biopsy is very simple and takes about 20 minutes. It is done under local anaesthesia which is given at the skin entry site of needle and in tissues around the lump to make it numb for about 20-30 minutes. The Biopsy needle is inserted visualising its tract in ultrasound real time and is positioned within the mass. Then the biopsy punch is taken and the needle is withdrawn out and the tissue is transferred to a formalin container. This process is repeated about 4-5 times.

What will you feel during the procedure?

There is no pain during the procedure after making it numb by local anaesthesia. Some patients may feel a mild discomfort. You’re awake during the procedure.

What are the Side effects?

There can sometimes be mild bleeding or small hematoma formation which usually stops by compression.

After the procedure?

You’ll be asked to wait for about 15-20 minutes after the procedure for observation. Then you can go back home normally. No significant precautions are there after the procedure except you should avoid heavy work with the arm on the side of biopsy so the bleeding might not trigger later on. There are no dietary restrictions.

When to expect the result?

The biopsy tissue is sent to pathology department to be examined under microscope and it takes about 4-5 days for the report to come.

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