M.D. is a 50-year-old woman whose routine mammogram showed a 2.3-× 4.5-cm lobulated mass at the 3
o'clock position in her left breast. M.D.
underwent a stereotactic needle biopsy and was diagnosed with
infiltrating ductal carcinoma, estrogen receptor positive. The staging workup was negative for distant
metastasis. Her final staging was stage IIB. She had a modified radical mastectomy with lymph node dissection. The sentinel lymph node and 4 of 16 lymph nodes were positive for tumor cells. An implanted
port was placed during surgery.
Describe the biopsy technique used to diagnose M.D.'s cancer.
Stereotactic needle biopsy includes aspiration of tumor cells through a special biopsy needle by
immobilizing the breast, determining the exact location of the tumor through x-ray examination,
and then inserting the needle into the precise location. The specimen is then analyzed by a
pathologist and a diagnosis is made.
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