Community Hospital Offers Quick, Painfree Breast Biopsy Procedure

New technology available at The Community Hospital allows patients to undergo a breast biopsy in a relatively painfree procedure that no longer requires surgery.

The Advanced Breast Biopsy Instrumentation (ABBI) offers an anxiety-reducing alternative to less modern biopsy methods that take a half day. The new procedure takes about 20 minutes.

ABBI uses highly accurate computer imaging to pinpoint the location of lesions in the breast so that a physician can immediately remove a sample for diagnosis.

The machine's accuracy allows the doctor to take out only what is needed for a sample and no extraneous tissue, minimizing deformity to the breast. The procedure involves a single, small incision closed with a few stitches.

The two most common breast biopsy techniques used today are excisional biopsy and core needle biopsy, both of which involve manual insertion of needles to pinpoint the location of the lump so it can be removed in surgery. Community Hospital is one of the first area medical centers to use the ABBI technology.

During the minimally invasive ABBI procedure, the woman lies on a table with the breast numbed by a local anesthesia similar to that used during a dental visit. The ABBI instrument is positioned on a location on the breast that offers the greatest access to the lump. Afterward, the patient rests a few minutes and can return home and resume normal activities.

"This is a significant advancement in the treatment of breast cancer," said Edward P. Robinson, Administrator of the Community Hospital. "Not only does it more accurately locate potentially cancerous tissue, but it does it in a way that reduces the physical and mental trauma patients experience with the older surgical techniques."

Every year, as many as 1 million women in the U.S. undergo breast biopsies to check for cancer. Although about 80 percent of these biopsies are benign (not cancerous), the American Cancer Society estimates that one out of every nine women will develop breast cancer in her lifetime, making the need for accurate, early detection more important than ever.

Women who discover lumps in the breast through a self-examination, a mammogram or during a doctor's exam are candidates for the ABBI procedure. A doctor's referral is necessary.