Personal Injury Law

Non-surgical Method for Diagnosing Breast Cancer

By Paul Napoli

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) in Rockville, MD has released results of a AHRQ funded report that found some methods of minimally invasive biopsy for breast cancer are nearly as accurate as surgical biopsy, but have much less risk of harm.

The ECRI Institute's Evidence-based Practice Center prepared the report, Comparative Effectiveness of Core Needle and Open Surgical Biopsy for the Diagnosis of Breast Lesions, for the Agency's Effective Health Care Program. It compared surgical biopsy procedures with various types of "core needle biopsies."

Considered the most accurate method to diagnose cancer in breast tissue samples, open surgical biopsies involve removing the tissue samples through a surgical incision. Surgeons perform the procedure while the patient is under general anesthesia, sedation plus local anesthesia, or local anesthesia only. The patient may be required to stay overnight in the hospital. Surgical biopsies are surgical procedures that, like all surgeries, carry certain risks.

During a core needle biopsy, doctors insert a hollow core needle through the skin and into the suspicious tissue mass to collect a tissue sample. This is generally an outpatient procedure and performed while the patient is only under local anesthesia. The report found women generally prefer this biopsy method.

Using reviews of published scientific evidence to gauge the effectiveness, risk and impact of core needle biopsies on patients, the report found that certain core needle biopsies could distinguish between malignant and benign lesions approximately as accurately as open surgical biopsy. They found the increased accuracy of the core needle method was due to recent technological improvements such as stereotactic guidance, ultrasound guidance and vacuum assistance.

Core needle biopsies have a much lower risk of severe complications than open surgical procedures, researchers found in a report published this month in Annals of Internal Medicine. Surgical biopsy procedures expose large numbers of women to an invasive surgery and its risks, while only a small percentage of women who undergo breast biopsy procedures are actually diagnosed with cancer. The report also found that women who are initially diagnosed with breast cancer by surgical biopsy are more likely to undergo multiple surgical procedures during treatment than women who are initially diagnosed with breast cancer by core needle biopsy.

"One challenge of providing appropriate care for patients is finding balance between the accuracy of a test or procedure and causing the least harm and burden to patients," said AHRQ Director Carolyn M. Clancy, M.D. "This report indicates that core needle biopsy may strike that balance in many instances. Patients should continue to speak to their doctor when making important decisions about testing, and use all available information to make the decision that is right for them."

If you have been injured or a loved one injured or died as the result of hospital negligence, medical malpractice or medical misdiagnosis, you may be able to file a claim and collect compensation for your losses. Call Napoli Bern Ripka, LLP at 888-529-4669 today to discuss your legal options.

Full post as published by New York City Personal Injury Lawyer on December 20, 2009 (boomark / email).