Biopsy For Breast Cancer Results

Tests To Determine Specific Types Of Treatment

You’ll also need tests that show whether the cancer will respond to specific types of treatment.

The results of these tests can give your doctors a more complete picture of the type of cancer you have and how to treat it.

In some cases, breast cancer cells can be stimulated to grow by hormones that occur naturally in your body, such as oestrogen and progesterone.

If this is the case, the cancer may be treated by stopping the effects of the hormones or by lowering the level of these hormones in your body. This is known as hormone therapy.

During a hormone receptor test, a sample of cancer cells will be taken from your breast and tested to see if they respond to either oestrogen or progesterone.

If the hormone is able to attach to the cancer cells using a hormone receptor, they’re known as hormone-receptor positive.

While hormones can encourage the growth of some types of breast cancer, other types are stimulated by a protein called human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 .

These types of cancers can be diagnosed using a HER2 test and are treated with medicine that blocks the effects of HER2. This is known as targeted therapy.

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Malignant Breast Biopsy Results

Malignant means that some cancer cells were found in your biopsy tissue. There are several types of breast cancer. Each type of breast cancer has different treatment options. You should speak to your doctor about the next steps of your treatment.

The glands of the breast are made of lobules and ducts . Non-invasive cancers have not yet broken out of the milk glands into the surrounding tissues. Invasive cancers start out growing in the breast glands but have also entered the surrounding tissues. Invasive cancers may also spread outside of the breast.

• Ductal carcinoma in situ is non-invasive cancer. The cancer cells grow and expand the milk ducts but are not in the surrounding breast tissue. It is usually not life-threatening.

• Invasive ductal carcinoma is the most common type of invasive breast cancer. About 80% are this type. The cancer starts in the cells that line a milk duct and grows into the tissues outside of the duct.

• Invasive lobular carcinoma is a less common type of invasive breast cancer. About 15% are this type. The cancer starts in the part of the gland that produces milk and grows into the tissues outside of the lobule.

• Invasive mammary carcinoma is a less common type of invasive breast cancer that has features of both ductal and lobular cancer.

• Other less common types of breast cancer are cribriform, inflammatory, medullary, mucinous, papillary, and tubular.

When Do I Need A Breast Biopsy

Your healthcare provider may have you undergo a breast biopsy if one or more of the following situations apply to you:

• You or your provider feels a lump or thickening inside your breast, and your provider is concerned it could be breast cancer.
• Your mammogram shows a suspicious area in your breast.
• You have a breast ultrasound scan that shows a concerning finding.
• Your breast MRI shows a suspicious finding.
• You have unusual changes in your nipple or areola, such as crusting, dimpling skin or unusual discharge.

Who performs a breast biopsy?

Depending on the type of breast biopsy you have, a radiologist or a surgeon will most likely perform your breast biopsy.

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How Do I Prepare For A Breast Biopsy

If youre undergoing a breast biopsy, its important to let your healthcare provider, surgeon and/or radiologist know:

• If youre pregnant or theres a chance youre pregnant.
• If you take blood-thinning medication. Your provider may adjust your medication before the biopsy to prevent excess bleeding or bruising.
• If you take aspirin or herbal supplements.
• If you have any health conditions or have recently had surgery.
• If you have any allergies, especially to anesthesia.

Questions that may be helpful to ask your healthcare provider before your breast biopsy include:

• What kind of breast biopsy am I having?
• Will I have local anesthesia or general anesthesia?
• How long will the procedure take?
• How much breast tissue will you remove?
• What will recovery from the biopsy be like?
• Will I have a scar from the procedure?
• When can I expect the results?

If youre getting general anesthesia for your breast biopsy, your healthcare provider may have you fast for several hours before your biopsy. Youll want to have someone drive you home after your biopsy if youre getting general anesthesia or a sedative because you may be groggy after the procedure.

In any situation, your provider will give you specific instructions before your breast biopsy appointment. Be sure to follow them.

What Do The Results Mean

It may take several days to a week to get your biopsy results. The results are called a pathology report. The report is written for your provider and will include a lot of medical terms. Your provider can explain what your report means.

The most important part of your report will be the diagnosis. In general, your results will be one of these categories:

• Normal. No cancer or abnormal cells were found.
• Abnormal breast changes that aren’t cancer and don’t increase your risk for breast cancer. Some of these conditions often get better on their own and others may need treatment.

• Abnormal breast changes that increase your risk for breast cancer. These cells are not cancer, but if you have them, you are more likely to develop cancer.

  If you had a needle biopsy that diagnosed a condition that increases your breast cancer risk, you may need a surgical biopsy to remove all the abnormal tissue. To find out what you can do to reduce your breast cancer risk, you will likely see a doctor who specializes in breast cancer.

• Breast cancer. If your biopsy finds cancer cells, your report will include details about how fast the cancer cells are growing, how much they look like normal cells, and other information to help plan the most effective treatment for your type of cancer. Usually, a doctor who specializes in breast cancer will provide your care.

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What If My Report Mentions Lymph Nodes

If breast cancer spreads, it often goes first to the nearby lymph nodes under the arm . If any of your underarm lymph nodes were enlarged , they may be biopsied at the same time as your breast tumor. One way to do this is by using a needle to get a sample of cells from the lymph node. The cells will be checked to see if they contain cancer and if so, whether the cancer is ductal or lobular carcinoma.

In surgery meant to treat breast cancer, lymph nodes under the arm may be removed. These lymph nodes will be examined under the microscope to see if they contain cancer cells. The results might be reported as the number of lymph nodes removed and how many of them contained cancer .

Lymph node spread affects staging and prognosis . Your doctor can talk to you about what these results mean to you.

Types Of Breast Biopsy Procedures

Your doctor will recommend a breast biopsy procedure based on things like:

• The size of the lump or suspicious area
• Whether thereâs more than one unusual area
• If you have other medical problems
• What you prefer

Your doctor may take a sample of tissue through surgery or through a procedure called a minimally invasive biopsy. Minimally invasive procedures offer:

• Return to typical daily activities right away

Common minimally invasive biopsy procedures include:

Surgical procedures include:

You may also have an axillary node dissection. Your doctor takes out at least six of the lymph nodes under your arm and sends them to a lab to be checked for cancer. This is a very reliable way to check the extent of your cancer. But it can take longer to recover, and it can have complications like arm swelling or nerve damage. It is rarely done anymore if at all avoidable.

After surgery, watch for warning signs of an infection or swelling in your arm or hand. Call your doctor right away if you notice a buildup of fluid, redness, or other symptoms of infection.

Cells or tissues that are removed are given to a pathologist, a doctor who specializes in diagnosing suspicious tissue changes.

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What Happens After A Breast Biopsy

How long it takes to recover will depend on the type of biopsy you had and the type of anesthesia used.

If you had general anesthesia, you will be taken to the recovery room, where you will be watched closely. Once your blood pressure, pulse, and breathing are stable and you are alert, you will be taken to your hospital room. Or you will go home. If the biopsy was done on an outpatient basis, you should plan to have another person drive you home.

If you had local anesthesia, you will be able to go home after you have completed the recovery period.

What Happens During A Breast Biopsy

A breast biopsy may be done in a providers office. It may be done on an outpatient basis, which means you go home the same day. Or it may be done as a hospital stay. Some types of biopsies only require local anesthesia. For other types, general anesthesia is needed. Procedures may vary depending on your condition and your providers practices.

Generally, a needle breast biopsy follows this process:

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Molecular Tests To Plan Treatment

After the doctor makes a diagnosis, other tests can help him or her plan the best treatment options. Tumor markers may help predict how well treatment will work for a specific cancer. Tumor markers are substances found at higher than normal levels in the blood, urine, or body tissues of some people with cancer. These may be identified through testing of a specific gene or protein. For example, tests for the HER2 protein and HER2 gene are often recommended for breast cancer. The results help the doctor find out if certain drugs that targeted HER2 could be a treatment option.

How Should I Prepare

Wear comfortable, loose-fitting clothing. You may need to remove all clothing and jewelry in the area to be examined.

You may need to change into a gown for the procedure.

Prior to a needle biopsy, tell your doctor about all the medications you take, including herbal supplements. List any allergies, especially to anesthesia. Your doctor may advise you to stop taking aspirin, blood thinners, or certain herbal supplements three to five days before your procedure. This will help decrease your risk of bleeding.

Also, inform your doctor about recent illnesses or other medical conditions.

You may want to have someone drive you home afterward, especially if you receive sedation.

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Changing Breast Cancer Treatment With The Neonavia Biopsy System

Following recent FDA clearance of NeoNavia, NeoDynamics announces US launch with its accompanying FlexiPulseprobe

STOCKHOLM, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — NeoDynamics AB , a medical device company dedicated to advancing the diagnosis and care of cancer, announced today that it is launching the NeoNavia biopsy system configured with its FlexiPulse probe in the United States to support the diagnosis of cancer.

“The recent FDA clearance of the NeoNavia will help clinicians address the critical issues they face in diagnosing and treating breast cancer, which are the proper detection of cancerous tumors in the breast and its spread beyond,” said Anna Eriksrud, CEO of NeoDynamics. She continued, “The US breast biopsy market is expected to reach $830mm by 2025. As we bring this much needed diagnostic product to market, there is enormous value to clinicians, patients, and all stakeholders of NeoDynamics.”

Approximately one third of breast tumors need evaluation for metastatic cancer. Many of these patients undergo surgical removal of lymph nodes in the axilla . Surgical removal of axillary lymph nodes is often associated with delayed diagnosis due to the time needed to schedule an operating room, surgeon, anesthesiologist, and nurses, the high cost of the procedure, and the side effects such as swelling in the arms or chest wall due to lymphedema.

The US launch of the NeoNavia biopsy system with the FlexiPulse probe is scheduled for January 2023.

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Increased Risk Breast Biopsy Results

Biopsy results which show increased risk are not cancer. However, this result could mean that you may be more likely to get cancer in the future. You should speak to your doctor about whether any more treatment is needed.

• Atypical ductal hyperplasia can be thought of as one-step before the earliest form of cancer. It is often removed because there is a small chance that cancer cells may be found nearby.

• Flat epithelial atypia is a growth within a milk gland. It does not usually need to be removed.

• Lobular carcinoma in situ and atypical lobular hyperplasia are grouped together and called lobular neoplasia. These findings are sometimes removed because there is a small chance that cancer cells may be found nearby.

• A papilloma is a growth within a milk duct that may cause nipple discharge. Not all papillomas need to be taken out of your breast. A papilloma may be removed if it has suspicious cells or if it is causing symptoms.

• Phylloides tumors are rare tumors that are most often benign. Because they tend to grow very fast, they are usually removed.

• A radial scar is a collection of milk ducts trapped in an area of breast tissue. Not all radial scars need to be taken out of your breast. A radial scar may be removed if it has suspicious cells.

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Biopsy Protocol Identifies Patients At Low Risk Of Recurrence

Date:

University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center

Summary:

Patients with early-stage breast cancer who had a pathologic complete response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy may be able to skip surgery and receive standard radiation treatment with a low chance of disease recurrence, according to a new study.

Patients with early-stage breast cancer who had a pathologic complete response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy may be able to skip surgery and receive standard radiation treatment with a low chance of disease recurrence, according to a new study from researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

The Phase II trial results, published today in Lancet Oncology, evaluated the likelihood of breast cancer returning in patients who are in complete remission after receiving chemotherapy and radiation without surgery. Each of the 31 patients followed had a complete response to chemotherapy and none had a breast tumor recurrence after a median follow-up of 26.4 months.

“The ultimate form of breast-conserving therapy is completely eliminating breast surgery for invasive disease,” said principal investigator Henry Kuerer, M.D., Ph.D., professor of Breast Surgical Oncology. “This research adds to growing evidence showing that newer drugs can completely eradicate cancer in some cases, and very early results show we can safely eliminate surgery in this select group of women with breast cancer.”

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How Long Do Pathology Results Take

Results usually take between one and two weeks.

Some tests take longer than others and may be done in a different hospital to the one where youre being treated.

Occasionally pathologists get a second opinion about the results which can also delay them.

Your specialist or breast care nurse should be able to tell you when your results will be ready.

Most people feel anxious waiting for their results. How long you wait depends on the type of biopsy or surgery you had and where youre being treated.

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How Will I Get My Results

You may get your results face to face, over the telephone or by letter.

This varies across the country, so check when and how youre likely to get your results before you leave hospital.

If you dont know how youll be getting your results, you can ask the hospital. This may be by contacting the surgeons secretary or the breast unit.

It can be frightening if someone doesnt know how theyre going to get their results and then gets a phone call asking them to go to the clinic.

Sometimes thats just the way that unit works. When its known the results are going to be ready some people may be contacted by phone to give them an appointment.

Biopsy For Breast Cancer Diagnosis: Stereotactic Core Biopsy

Stereotactic core biopsy was developed as an alternative to surgical biopsy. It is a less invasive way to obtain the tissue samples needed for diagnosis. This procedure requires less recovery time than does a surgical biopsy, and there is no significant scarring to the breast.

Your doctor, the radiologist and you may consider this type of biopsy when there is an abnormality found on a mammogram that cannot be felt. The radiologist can make a judgment about whether the procedure is technically feasible and your doctor may recommend it in your particular situation.

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