Better Breast Biopsy

Better Breast Biopsy

Reported June 6, 2005

ST. LOUIS (Ivanhoe Broadcast News) — Each year, more than 1 million women will undergo a breast biopsy. Many will not be diagnosed with cancer, but that doesn’t make going through a biopsy any easier. Here is a new machine that takes some of the sting out of a biopsy.

When Robin Lukasek was faced with potential breast cancer last fall, she wasn’t sure she could handle it. She says, “Your mind does fast-forward, and you think, ‘Will I be here? Will I have grandchildren? Will I see my children married? Can I make it through this?’”

Many of the 1 million women who have breast biopsies each year ask those same questions.

Breast radiologist Carrie Morrison, M.D., says, “About 85 percent of what we biopsy are not breast cancer.” That doesn’t make the thought of a biopsy any easier, says Dr. Morrison from St. John’s Mercy Medical Center in St. Louis. But a new procedure can make the physical part of one easier. It’s called En-Bloc.

“What we try to do is cause the least amount of invasion to the breast as possible,” Dr. Morrison says.  First, a probe deploys a snare through a small incision in the breast. An electrical current is delivered through the probe to work through breast tissue to get the best sample. “It’s quite a bit faster. It’s less stressful for the patient, and we get a better tissue sample,” Dr. Morrison tells Ivanhoe.

A better sample means a more accurate diagnosis — often eliminating the need for more surgeries. Standard biopsies take up to 20 minutes to get a sample, but this method does it in just 15 seconds.

Lukasek ‘s biopsy showed there was no cancer. She says: “First and foremost, a feeling of thanks to God that this wasn’t meant for me. Maybe it was an eye-opener or something for our family to bring us closer.”

For Lukasek, this new technology was the answer to her prayers.

The procedure is FDA approved, but it is not in widespread use across the country yet. Dr. Morrison says the number of centers using this continues to climb. Currently, about 65 centers have the device.