Breast biopsy

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Breast Lump Removal: Illustrated Series	Female breast	Female breast biopsy	Needle biopsy of the breast
Open biopsy of the breast

• Your medical history will be taken, and a manual breast exam performed.
• An informed consent form must be signed. If you are going to have general anesthesia, you may be asked to fast for 8 to 12 hours before the test.
• If you take medications (including aspirin or herbals), ask your doctor whether to discontinue these before the biopsy.

There may be a sharp, stinging sensation when the local anesthetic is administered. During the procedure, you may feel slight discomfort or light pressure.

After the test, the breast may be sore and tender to the touch for several days. If an incision is made, pain medication will probably be prescribed. For needle biopsy, over-the-counter pain medication should be adequate.

A biopsy is the only way to determine if tissue is benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancerous).

Review Date: 10/31/2005
Reviewed By: Jeremy Goverman, M.D., Department of Trauma and Critical Care, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.