Signs of Breast Cancer in a Needle Biopsy

There are three types of needle biopsies. In fine needle aspiration the doctor removes fluid or tissue from a breast lump with a thin needle. This shows whether the lump is solid or full of fluid. A core needle biopsy is done with a device that pushes a needle quickly through the lump. A notch in the needle collects a piece of tissue to check under a microscope. A stereotactic needle biopsy is used with special X-ray equipment and computer calculations. You lie face down with your breast hanging down through a hole in the table. Your breast is flattened for clearer pictures so the doctor can place the needle in the exact area from which the sample needs to be collected.

The doctor who looks at the breast tissue samples under a microscope to find out what disease you have is a pathologist. Pathologists can tell whether your tissue and cells are cancerous. They send a report of their findings to your doctor with a diagnosis that includes the kind of cancer and how cancer cells are arranged. It also tells how large the cancerous area is and how far it has spread. A description of the cells is included.

If the pathologist sees abnormal cell growth, your doctor will probably recommend more mammograms. Abnormal cells dividing rapidly in your breast are signs of cancer. Another possible biopsy result is ductal carcinoma in situ, which are cancer cells in the breast ducts that haven't spread to the other parts of your breast. Lobular carcinoma in situ are abnormal cells found in the lobules of your breast. These cells aren't cancerous but indicate that you have a good chance of getting cancer in either breast in the future.

There are other possible biopsy results that aren't cancerous, though the area may look like cancer. Sclerosing adenosis is too much tissue growth in your breast lobules that can contain calcifications. A fibroadenoma is a hard, round growth that moves. Fat necrosis is round lumps of damaged fat tissue.

If biopsy results indicate a condition that isn't cancer, you may need to have more mammograms, see the doctor more often or take prescription medicine to discourage abnormal cells from growing. If biopsy results show signs of breast cancer, your treatment will depend on how far it has progressed. Doctors could recommend surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, hormones or a combination of treatments. A drug called tamoxifen could be prescribed to prevent cancer from returning. Sometimes a total mastectomy--removing the breast--may be necessary.