Beaufort Memorial Hospital | Affiliated with Duke University Health System in heart and cancer

Keyserling Cancer Center

Breast Health Services Offered

Mammography
Mammography (X-ray exam of the breast) is the most valuable tool now available for early detection of breast cancer. With mammography, doctors can find tumors before they can be felt. It also shows other changes in breast structure which doctors believe point to early cancer.

Breast Ultrasound
Breast ultrasound is a procedure used to further evaluate a breast abnormality or lump seen on mammography. Ultrasound can determine if a breast lump is solid (tumor) or filled with fluid (cyst). Breast ultrasound is not meant to replace the mammogram. Unlike mammography, ultrasound is not able to detect small calcifications.

Stereotactic Needle Biopsy
This is a sophisticated new technique especially useful for extremely small areas of concern that cannot be felt but are detected on mammography. This method involves combining mammogram and computer technology to pinpoint the area and draw out cells for analysis.

Aspiration
Fine needle aspiration of the breast is a simple, diagnostic procedure which is reported to be highly accurate. The procedure is performed using a very fine needle - one much smaller than that used to draw blood from a vein. The skin where the needle is introduced may or may not be anesthetized (numbed) with a local injection. Because the results of the aspiration are available within a short period of time, it spares the patient unnecessary anxiety. If the fine needle aspiration shows no cancer cells, but your doctor notes any suspicious or worrisome mass, further tests are indicated.

Core Needle Biopsy
A core needle biopsy is a diagnostic procedure reported to be highly accurate in identifying the presence of a malignant tumor. The core needle is usually guided into position with the use of ultrasound then multiple tissue samples are removed.

Needle Localization
Sometimes very small areas of concern which cannot be felt but do show up on a mammogram can be very hard to locate and biopsy. In order to locate the exact site of such a small area, a special type of needle, with a fine hookwire inside it, is guided into the lump during mammography. It is left in the lump until the patient is brought into surgery for the surgical removal of the lump.

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