Breast tissue removal at The London Breast Care Centre
A breast biopsy is a procedure in which part or all of a suspicious breast growth is removed and examined, usually for the presence of cancer. The growth sample is suctioned out through a needle or cut out using a surgical procedure. The sample is then examined and evaluated under a microscope by a pathologist to identify non-cancerous (benign) or cancerous (malignant) tissue. Words used to refer to the abnormal area or growth before and after diagnosis may include lump, mass, lesion, and tumor. The basic aim of a breast biopsy is to determine whether or not a worrisome lump is cancer.