There must be a concern about this since I've gotten a lot of emails lately asking that question. The answer is "No." I think I know the source of the confusion and want to share it with you in case you, too, have worried about this.
Many health care providers use the Gail Model, a questionnaire used to evaluate someone's increased risk of developing breast cancer. One of the questions is whether you have ever had a breast biopsy and, if so, how many. Along with other information, your response to this question is used to calibrate your risk score. But it's not the fact that you had a biopsy that increases your risk. It's the fact that at some point in the past your breast grew something abnormal that warranted a biopsy. Here are some facts:
- Breast biopsies don't cause breast cancer.
- Breast biopsies don't cause breast cancer to spread if it is already there.
- Breast biopsies don't stimulate breast cells to mutate later into cancer cells.
If your doctor recommends a breast biopsy, don't refuse it because of concern it will increase your risk of getting breast cancer some day. Your doctor is recommending it to rule out that cancer is a concern now.
