By removing just enough tissue for complete evaluation, stereotactic needle biopsy can eliminate the need for a more extensive biopsy. A computer-generated grid automatically helps the radiologist pinpoint the lesion and position the biopsy needle accordingly. After the tissue sample is taken, it is sent to pathology for examination and diagnosis. Fox Chase physicians recommend stereotactic biopsy for women whose mammograms show small, non-palpable, suspicious masses or patients who have already been treated for breast cancer and have suspicious changes in their mammograms. The equipment provides physicians and patients an alternative to more costly procedures, such as excisional biopsies, as it is designed to detect abnormalities that are easily accessible and probably benign.
Biopsies can incur unnecessary physical costs, too, for previously treated women.
Operating on a breast that has already undergone surgery or radiation could result in unavoidable disfigurement. The stereotactic procedure offers patients improved comfort over excisional biopsy. The procedure is not painful or time-consuming. The needle is quickly inserted and withdrawn. Recovery is rapid.