Breast Biopsy in Tacoma, WA

Offering Early Breast Cancer Detection in the South Puget Sound Area

A breast biopsy is a procedure used to observe the tissue of the breast by removing a small sample for additional testing. This procedure is often conducted if there is suspicious activity within the breast tissue that can be detected during an examination like a mammogram, ultrasound scan, or self-examination. We are able to carry out breast biopsies from our five offices in the Puget Sound area.

Types of Breast Biopsies

There are several different ways in which your specialist at Northwest Medical Specialties can complete a breast biopsy. The particular biopsy chosen will depend on the size, location, and characteristics of the abnormality within the breast. These breast biopsy methods include:

• Core needle biopsy
• Ultrasound-guided core needle biopsy
• MRI-guided core needle biopsy
• Fine-needle aspiration biopsy
• Stereotactic biopsy
• Surgical biopsy

What to Expect from a Breast Biopsy

Each of these breast biopsies are relatively simple and do not require anything more than a mild numbing agent to prevent the patient from feeling any pain. The individual will then be able to return home within the same day with only mild discomfort near the incision site.

Tissue samples usually average to be the size of a grain of rice, unless the patient is undergoing a surgical biopsy to remove the entire breast mass in question. Additional anesthetic and resulting stitches may be required if the mass is of significant size.