Rates of breast biopsy (removal of tissue for diagnostic evaluation) remained stable over a 12 year period even as mammogram use increased and new and less invasive biopsy techniques were introduced, according to a study in the July 25 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.
Changes in the guidelines for breast cancer screening have resulted in increased use of mammography. However, some women screened by mammography may have a false positive result, requiring further tests, including biopsy, resulting in anxiety, inconveniences and trauma for the patient as well as increased costs, according to background information in the article. Further, the authors suggest, the advent of less invasive breast biopsy techniques might also contribute to an increase in the use of biopsy, but there is little information on the actual frequency of biopsy in the general community.
Karthik Ghosh, M.D., M.S., of the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn., and colleagues, reviewed the medical records of women 18 years and older from January 1, 1988 through December 31, 1999, using the resources of the Rochester Epidemiology Project which indexes all inpatient and outpatient medical care provided to residents of Olmsted County, Minn. The rate of utilization of biopsy was calculated as the number of biopsies performed (except when multiple biopsies were performed on the same breast at one time) compared with the number of women in Olmsted County.