Before You Get a Biopsy, Read This! By Lillie Shockney, R.N., M.A.S. - Posted Tue, May 12, 2009, 6:28 pm PDT

1. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Wed, May 13, 2009, 4:56 pm PDT

Let's start with- What makes her an expert? She's not even an MD much less a General Surgeon whom she basically labels as incompetent -to examine a woman's breast and mammograms and taking into consideration her history etc and with the woman deciding whether an excisonal biopsy is indicated versus a stereotactic or core biopsy. Also Core biopsies are not always conclusive and some cysts are complex- part may be not be benign. Tissue samples should ALWAYS be sent to pathology for permanent sections and unless there is an unusual finding it certainly DOES NOT take a week for the pathology department to give the results. I don't know where or in what backwoods place she resides but most excisional breast biopsies if that is the indicated type of biopsy the patient needs DOES NOT require general anesthesia unless the lump is near the chest wall.

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2. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Wed, May 13, 2009, 8:52 pm PDT

@ ^^^ :)

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3. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Fri, May 15, 2009, 11:08 am PDT

Very interesting information, but I not absolutely with it agree. The given information is subjective more, than is objective. If to consider it it is more global, collateral factors emerge many. Propecia

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4. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Wed, May 20, 2009, 11:33 am PDT

Thank you so much. This article is a God-send. In two days, I will go see my doctor. He does specialize in breast disease. I can feel a few lumps on my top left breast. Their not hard, but move when I touch them. I feel like the breast is a little swollen there (maybe because I keep touching it). it's been there about a month or so. I have had this before and it went away. I also had one similar last year and this dr did do the full surgery on it. I still have a nice 2' scar. I saw him about 4 months ago for a check up and everything was fine. Now this. I do need to say I have implants and I don't know if that makes a difference or not. I guess I will find out. This time, I am taking this print out with me. I do not want to go under general anesthesia unless he can give me the one and only one reason I need to. Thanks again

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5. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Wed, May 20, 2009, 12:00 pm PDT

This article may do more harm than good. I found a lump in my breast. A diagnostic mammogram and an ultrasound were negative. I went to a qualified breast surgeon recommended by my OB-GYN. I had an excisional biopsy. It was Stage II invasive ductal carcinoma. I dread to think what might have happened had I not had the biopsy.

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6. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Tue, Jun 02, 2009, 9:21 pm PDT

thanks for this

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7. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Wed, Jun 10, 2009, 6:17 am PDT

I agree that unnecessary biopsies should not be performed by a general surgeon. Suspicious lesions warrant further testing with an Ultrasound to differnetiate a solid mass versus a cyst and also an MRI, which is currently controversial. MRI can identify lesions which are not radiographically located with Mammograms. It would be more suitable to perform the more minimially invasive which is MRI prior to any Stereotactic/Core biopsy or Lumpectomy. All lesions should be biopsied or excised as a cancer diagnosis can change, which happens often.

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8. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Sun, Jul 12, 2009, 11:10 pm PDT

I'm new to this blog-writer, but have been less than impressed with her writing. I found a lump when I was 26, had a mammogram, and was told it was "inconclusive," and was instructed to keep an eye on it. I was diagnosed with IDC in the EXACT SAME SPOT at the age of 31, at stage IIa/IIb (my tumor did extend towards the chest wall-on the surface it was only 2 cm, but because of my breast MRI, it was discovered the tumor was 7-10 cm. Nonetheless, I was encouraged NOT to get a breast biopsy done because I was "so young, and it was likely nothing." Thank the good Lord I knew to ignore them. I insisted, they biopsied me, and I began neo-adjuvant chemo just weeks later. Don't get a biopsy if unnecessary?!?!?!?!!? Who has the ultimate knowledge whether or not it is?! I am also a colon cancer survivor, and my initial biopsy was benign. The surgeon strongly recommended I have a hemicolectomy because the type of polyp he found "would grow into cancer eventually." I had the surgery, initial pathology was all-clear, and final pathology was STAGE I COLON CANCER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm sorry, I don't usually try to knock down what a fellow survivor says, but this is just wrong. Ladies, you KNOW when there is something that is not right. If you have a gut-feeling, follow it. Please.

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9. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Thu, Aug 13, 2009, 2:19 pm PDT

Sorry, I cannot agree with this article. I had a core biopsy that took 18 samples, all came back negative for cancer. My luck that the radiologist had a feeling and insisted that I have a surgical biospy. They found the stage 1 ductal cancer during that surgical biopsy. I could have easily not had it based on the negative findings of the core biopsy. I had a lumpectomy and radiation. Three years later, another suspicious mammogram in the same breast. They wanted to do a stereotactic biospy and I said "no way". Had another surgical biopsy and am anxiously awaiting the results.

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10. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Thu, Oct 29, 2009, 2:54 am PDT

Some amount of info out there. Thanks.

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