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Breast Biopsy

(continued)

Risks

The possible risks from a breast biopsy include:

An infection at the biopsy site. An infection can be treated with antibiotics.
Bleeding from the biopsy site.
Not getting a sample of the abnormal tissue.
Dizziness and fainting.

Call your doctor immediately if:

Your pain lasts longer than a week.
You have redness, a lot of swelling, bleeding, or pus from the biopsy site.
You have a fever.

Core needle and stereotactic breast biopsies may leave a small round scar. Open biopsies leave a small straight line scar. The scar fades over time. A fine-needle biopsy usually does not leave a scar.

Results

A breast biopsy removes of a sample of breast tissue that is looked at under a microscope for breast cancer.

**Breast biopsy**
Normal:	No abnormal or cancer cells are present.
Abnormal:	Noncancerous (benign) problems include fluid-filled cysts, fibrocystic lumps, and firm tumors (fibroadenomas). Fibroadenomas may be either taken out or left in but checked closely. They do not go away, but they are not likely to become cancer.
	Other noncancerous problems include growths of fat tissue (lipoma); scar tissue with calcium (calcification); an abscess; too much growth of cells (called atypical ductal hyperplasia, or ADH); or changes in the breast tissue cells called columnar alteration with prominent snouts and secretions (CAPSS). If ADH is present, an open biopsy is needed to make sure there is no cancer.
	Cancer cells are present.

What Affects the Test

A needle biopsy takes tissue from a small area, so there is a chance that a cancer may be missed.

What To Think About

Most breast lumps are not cancer. But the chance of having a cancerous breast lump is higher after menopause than before menopause.

Some lumpiness of breast tissue is normal. The fibrous tissue in the breast often feels lumpy or bumpy, especially before your menstrual period. This lumpiness (fibrocystic change) is so common in women that doctors now think it is a normal change. These changes usually go away after menopause, but they also may be found in women who are taking hormone replacement following menopause.

Citations

Burstein HJ, et al. (2008). Malignant tumors of the breast section of Cancer of the breast. In VT DeVita Jr et al., eds., DeVita, Hellman, and Rosenberg?s Cancer: Principles and Practice of Oncology, 8th ed., vol. 2, pp. 1606-1654. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.

Other Works Consulted

Chernecky CC, Berger BJ (2008). Laboratory Tests and Diagnostic Procedures, 5th ed. St. Louis: Saunders.

Fischbach FT, Dunning MB III, eds. (2009). Manual of Laboratory and Diagnostic Tests, 8th ed. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.

By	Healthwise Staff
Primary Medical Reviewer	Sarah Marshall, MD - Family Medicine
Specialist Medical Reviewer	C. Dale Mercer, MD, FRCSC, FACS - General Surgery
Last Revised	March 29, 2011

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WebMD Medical Reference from Healthwise

Last Updated: March 29, 2011

This information is not intended to replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information.