Article
Avoiding Unnecessary Breast Biopsies in Adolescents
An excisional biopsy, which is common in case a breast lump is detected, involves an incision along the contour of the breast and removeing the lump. However, this procedure can result in pain, scarring and breast deformity.
If a lump is found in the breast of an adolescent girl, she often will undergo an excisional biopsy. However, breast cancer is rare in adolescents, and the vast majority of teenage breast lumps turn out to be benign masses that are related to hormones and often go away over time.
A recent Loyola University Health System study published in the Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine suggests that a breast ultrasound examination might eliminate the need for biopsy in many cases.
Loyola radiologists studied 37 teen girls with a total of 45 breast lumps to determine whether the size of their breast mass at an initial ultrasound and their growth at a follow-up ultrasound could be used to decide between conservative management of the lump or a more invasive tissue biopsy.
Link to the complete article on MedicalXpress: http://bit.ly/1HhnPaG
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