Needle biopsies take a smaller tissue sample and may miss the cancer. However, even with needle biopsies, false negative results are not common. One study looking at nearly 1,000 core needle biopsies found a false negative result rate of 2.2%. That's just over 2 out of 100 biopsies.
Although tests aren't 100% accurate all the time, receiving a wrong answer from a cancer biopsy – called a false positive or a false negative – can be especially distressing. While data are limited, an incorrect biopsy result generally is thought to occur in 1 to 2% of surgical pathology cases.
Suspicious mammographic findings may require a biopsy for diagnosis. More than 1 million women have breast biopsies each year in the United States. About 20 percent of these biopsies yield a diagnosis of breast cancer. Open surgical biopsy removes suspicious tissue through a surgical incision.
The good news is that 80% of women who have a breast biopsy do not have breast cancer.
If your pathologist suspects certain types of cancer, such as lymphoma, he or she might need to perform additional testing to determine the subtype. This process takes an additional 24 to 96 hours, depending on the complexity of the cancer. It can be agonizing to wait for biopsy results.
Imaging tests, such as CT scans or MRIs, are helpful in detecting masses or irregular tissue, but they alone can't tell the difference between cancerous cells and cells that aren't cancerous. For most cancers, the only way to make a diagnosis is to perform a biopsy to collect cells for closer examination.
Doctors use diagnostic tests like biopsies and imaging exams to determine a cancer's grade and its stage. While grading and staging help doctors and patients understand how serious a cancer is and form a treatment plan, they measure two different aspects of the disease.
Some patients express concerns about whether a breast needle biopsy might cause cancer to spread. But there's no evidence of a negative long-term effect from a breast needle biopsy. And the benefits of a breast needle biopsy — as opposed to a surgical biopsy or no biopsy at all — outweigh the risks.
Most women who have breast biopsies DO NOT have breast cancer. In fact, about 4 out of 5 breast biopsies are benign (not cancer). 2.
Getting a second opinion
You may want to get a second opinion before your biopsy, or after, when you have the results. Most health plans allow you to get a second opinion if the second doctor is in your health plan's network. Learn more about getting a second opinion.
The removal of tissue or cells for analysis is called a biopsy. While a biopsy may sound scary, it's important to remember that most are entirely pain-free and low-risk procedures. Depending on your situation, a piece of skin, tissue, organ, or suspected tumor will be surgically removed and sent to a lab for testing.
Biopsies are most often done to look for cancer. But biopsies can help identify many other conditions. A biopsy might be recommended whenever there is an important medical question the biopsy could help answer.
Generally, after a patient receives positive melanoma results, his or her doctors will need to proceed with staging the malignancy— which essentially means determining the extent of the cancer—and developing a treatment plan based on how far the cancer has progressed.
When you face a serious diagnosis like cancer or one that requires surgery, it's a good idea to get a medical second opinion on the interpretation of your biopsy. That second opinion can confirm the original diagnosis and treatment plan or, in some cases, change the diagnosis.
Biopsies are highly accurate. Pathologists use specialized microscopes to look at the cells in your sample. If you are not completely comfortable with the results, you can always get a second opinion.
A breast biopsy is a common procedure that healthcare providers use to determine if a suspicious area in your breast could be cancer, though approximately 80% of breast biopsy results are not cancer. There are many different kinds of breast biopsies. They typically involve a biopsy needle or surgery.
Most breast lumps – 80% of those biopsied – are benign (non-cancerous). Following are examples of the most common benign breast conditions which produce lumps. Fibrocystic changes: This is not a disease, but rather a benign (not cancer) condition affecting 50 to 60 percent of all women.
Increased surveillance following a benign breast biopsy is necessary because of the increased need for subsequent biopsy or risk of cancer development. This should include imaging (mammography or ultrasound) and a clinical breast examination 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years after a benign breast biopsy.
This is called a false negative result and delays diagnosis. For abnormal findings that can't be felt (can only be seen on a mammogram or other imaging test), false negative results occur in up to 4 percent of image-guided core needle biopsies [5-7].
If a normal or negative test result comes back, the physician can telephone the patient with the “good news,” and patients have the option of canceling the follow-up appointment. Although it is preferable to give bad news face-to-face, there may be times when giving bad news over the phone is unavoidable.
Breast biopsies are straightforward procedures and don't require an overnight stay in the hospital or clinic, Flanagan says, but your exact experience will vary based on the type of biopsy you receive. During ultrasound- and mammogram-guided biopsies, you'll lie either on your back or side.
Risks associated with a breast biopsy include: Bruising and swelling of the breast. Infection or bleeding at the biopsy site. Altered breast appearance, depending on how much tissue is removed and how the breast heals.
A long-held belief by a number of patients and even some physicians has been that a biopsy can cause some cancer cells to spread. While there have been a few case reports that suggest this can happen — but very rarely — there is no need for patients to be concerned about biopsies, says Dr. Wallace.