Excision biopsy
An excision biopsy is a surgical procedure; it is therefore also called surgical or open biopsy. Under general anaesthesia, the entire suspicious area is removed from the breast and then sent for examination by the pathologist. The final confirmation of the diagnosis can only be made by removing the entire breast node with subsequent microscopic tissue examination.
Therefore, excisional biopsy is still the standard procedure in many centres. However, it is also the procedure with the most side effects. For many women, the remaining scar on the breast, which is about 3-4 cm long, is very disturbing.
In addition, tissue damage can lead to retractions and adhesions within the breast. This later makes it difficult to evaluate subsequent mammograms. Since most biopsies performed lead to negative results, some doctors ask themselves whether the benefit for women with a positive result compared to other less invasive procedures really outweighs the harm of women with a negative result.
