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Breast Cancer Diagnosis
Cancer. According to a study done at Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital, large-core needle biopsy is as effective as surgical excision in diagnosing breast cancer. The study, published in the May 5 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, examined the results of more than 1,800 needle biopsies. The researchers found that increased use of mammography has resulted in the identification of more breast abnormalities that require biopsy. Since about 70 percent to 80 percent of these are benign, no further surgery would be required for these conditions after the needle biopsy, which is far less invasive, not to mention less expensive, than surgical excision. The researchers also found that when a malignancy was diagnosed with a needle biopsy, fewer surgical procedures were needed to achieve clear margins during surgery following the biopsy.
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Hookman, M.D., P.A. Home Page