Stereotactic breast biopsy available at Nevada Regional Medical Center

* Procedure helps women avoid open surgery, requires no stitches, reduces scarring.

Nevada, Mo. -- Nevada Regional Medical Center is offering women faced with a suspicious mammogram or small breast lump a less invasive breast biopsy that keeps women out of the operating room and avoids the stitches and scarring associated with a traditional open surgical biopsy.

The procedure is done with the Mammotome Breast Biopsy System, a minimally invasive breast biopsy device that allows doctors to biopsy suspicious tissue through a tiny incision in less than an hour with an immediate recovery. Biopsies performed with the Mammotome are proven to be as diagnostically reliable as open surgical biopsies in determining if a woman has breast cancer.

"Whenever possible, a minimally invasive breast biopsy should be performed rather than an open surgical biopsy," said John T. Weaver, D.O., general surgeon at NRMC. "Now women can get an accurate diagnosis with an outpatient procedure that is much less traumatic and easier on a woman's body."

In the procedure, a woman lies on a table while the doctor places the Mammotome probe through a small incision about the size of a match head.

Using ultrasound or X-ray imaging the doctor can accurately pinpoint the suspicious tissue and gently vacuum, cut and remove this tissue for further examination. Only a small adhesive bandage is required to cover the incision. The procedure typically takes less than an hour and women can return to normal activity immediately following the biopsy.

After the biopsy is complete, a small "tissue marker" can be left at the biopsy site. This allows doctors to easily locate the problem area in future mammograms or in the event surgical follow-up is necessary.

More than 1.6 million breast biopsies are performed each year in the U.S.; however, approximately 80 percent of the biopsies performed turn out to be benign. According to the American Cancer Society, more than 203,500 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year and nearly 40,000 will die from the disease.

A study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine (June 24, 2002) stated that the leading cause of physician delay in diagnosing breast cancer is wrongly assuring women with breast lumps that they were benign without performing a biopsy.

"Mammograms are not enough in many cases to make a definitive diagnosis," Dr. Weaver said. "And now with the advent of minimally invasive breast biopsies, there should be no reason for women to avoid a biopsy that can help them detect breast cancer at its earliest stages, when it's most curable."

As with any breast biopsy procedure, procedures with the Mammotome may present risks. Patients should consult with their doctors to see which type of breast biopsy procedure is appropriate for them.

"Offering the Mammotome biopsy is a natural step for us in providing state-of-the-art women's services," said President and CEO Judy Feuquay.

"Last year, we were able to start providing digital mammography which allows our radiologists to rotate an image in any direction and spot problems with greater ease. NRMC truly is committed to the fight against breast cancer."