If your mammogram reveals an abnormality in your breast, you may need a biopsy to determine if cancer is present.
During biopsy, a breast surgeon or specially trained radiologist removes tissue or cells from the area of the breast that may be cancerous. At Einstein’s Marion-Louise Saltzman Women's Center, our physicians perform all biopsies using local anesthesia. That means you don't have to be put to sleep during the procedure. You can also eat breakfast that morning and go home in a few hours without feeling groggy.
Our breast surgeons and radiologists use the latest technology to offer patients the very best in biopsy techniques including:
Stereotactic breast biopsy, a relatively new, nonsurgical alternative to the traditional surgical biopsy. Stereotactic breast biopsy spares women from needlessly undergoing surgery. That's great news since 75 to 80 percent of all breast biopsies performed in the U.S. involve lesions that are ultimately proven benign.
Sometimes, traditional surgical biopsy is the best way to collect tissue samples or entire lumps for examination. At Einstein, our surgeons use stereotactic guidance, an advanced mammographic imaging technology, to help them precisely locate tissue for removal. Such precision helps surgeons to hone in on the suspicious site without removing the healthy tissue surrounding it.

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