Reason: If your primary care physician or Ob-Gyn detects a lump in your breast, he or she will refer you to Dr. Harrison for a breast biopsy. A breast biopsy is used to detect whether or not a lump is malignant—that is, whether it is cancerous—and early detection has helped save thousands of lives.
Breast Surgery Procedure: The type of breast biopsy performed depends on the size and location of the lump.
- If your lump appears on a mammogram but Dr. Harrison is not able to feel it, he will send you to a radiologist to have a stereotactic biopsy. If the results come back worrisome, Dr. Harrison will perform needle localization. Needle localization is when the radiologist uses the images from the stereotactic biopsy to insert a thin wire into the breast at the location of the lump, so Dr. Harrison will be able to easily remove the lump in the operating room while you are under general anesthesia.
- If Dr. Harrison is able to feel the lump, he will give you the option to have the entire lump surgically removed, or just a portion. It is recommended to remove the entire lump as a precaution. With either procedure, the tissue will be sent to the pathology lab for analysis to determine whether the lump was malignant.
Post Procedure: Since both types of breast biopsy are performed under general anesthesia, after your surgery you will be taken into a recovery room where your vital signs will be monitored.
Follow-Up: Dr. Harrison will ask you to return to his offices one to two weeks after your biopsy to review the results from pathology.