Diagnosing Breast Cancer: Is needle aspiration the Best Way?

A needle aspiration biopsy with a low risk of cancer spread could be as effective as surgical biopsy in diagnosing breast cancer. Also, the needle aspiration method has fewer side effects than surgical biopsies. A recent review of more than 80 studies using two breast cancer screening methods found that needle aspiration may be as accurate as surgical biopsy in distinguishing between malignant and non-malignant breast lesions. Moreover, the risk of complications associated with a needle aspiration biopsy is about half that of a surgical biopsy. Women who suspect breast cancer after initial screening often undergo a biopsy to determine if the breast damage is malignant. In most cases, the mass and lesion are benign and require no further treatment. Biopsies may be performed by surgical incision of the breast or by a minimally invasive core needle biopsy. The latter takes a small sample of the breast tissue through a special needle inserted into the skin. The researchers say needle aspiration has fewer complications and a shorter recovery time than an open breast biopsy. But some women and doctors may be more concerned about the accuracy of the test compared with traditional surgical biopsies in diagnosing breast cancer. In the study, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, researchers reviewed 83 trials of the two biopsy methods. The results showed that core-core needle aspiration biopsy could achieve the same accuracy as breast incision biopsy in detecting malignant and benign breast tissue damage. The complication rate of needle aspiration biopsy was much lower than that of surgical biopsy (1% vs. 2% ~ 10%). In addition, the study showed that more patients initially diagnosed with breast cancer by needle aspiration were treated with a single breast surgery than those diagnosed with an open breast biopsy. Based on all the current evidence, the researchers say, there is reason to believe that using a core-needle biopsy instead of an open breast biopsy would provide the same sensitivity and fewer complications for breast cancer detection. They believe that future studies should be carried out to determine the factors that affect the accuracy of the core needle aspiration breast cancer biopsy.