There are a few reasons why a doctor would recommend this procedure for someone. A breast biopsy can be defined as the surgical procedure that removes a slight tissue sample from the breast using surgery. Once this sample is removed, it will be tested for cancer. The sample that is collected from the breast will be viewed closely under a microscope to find any abnormalities.

Types of Breast Biopsies

There are four ways that a doctor can perform a breast biopsy which include:

• open biopsy
• fine-needle biopsy
• vacuum-assisted biopsy
• core needle biopsy

Open Biopsy: An open biopsy is also referred to as a surgical biopsy. During this procedure, the doctor will make a small incision to remove most or all of a lump. This procedure falls second to the fine-needle biopsy procedure.

Fine-Needle Biopsy: The fine-needle biopsy is used to extract a sample of the fluid or cells that derive from the lump.

Vacuum-Assisted Biopsy: A vacuum-assisted biopsy is a procedure that uses a probe-like instrument that is assisted with the help of a soft and gentle vacuum. These instruments are used to withdraw a tiny sample of breast tissue. One perk of this type of breast biopsy is that the incision is small and does not require stitches or down time, and does not leave an unsightly scar.

Core Needle Biopsy: This type of biopsy is performed with a small, thin needle that removes a sample of breast tissue. The needle that is used in this procedure has a unique tip that allows a sample of the breast tissue to be removed easily. The size of the breast tissue is equal to that of a grain of rice.

Why Are Biopsies Performed?

The primary reason why biopsies are performed is to investigate lumps or other suspicious areas of the breast. Many doctors use breast biopsies as a trusted form of action if the results from the mammogram are uncanny, such as malignant or benign. Malignant results infers that the suspicious areas are cancerous, and benign insinuates that the suspicious areas are not cancerous.