Results

It may be several days before the results of a breast biopsy are available. After the biopsy procedure, the breast tissue is sent to a lab, where a doctor who specializes in analyzing blood and body tissue (pathologist) examines the sample using a microscope and special procedures.

The pathologist prepares a pathology report that is sent to your doctor, who will share the results with you. The pathology report includes details about the size and consistency of the tissue samples and the location of the biopsy site. The report describes whether cancer, noncancerous changes or precancerous cells were present.

If the pathology report states that only healthy tissue or benign breast changes were detected, your doctor will need to see if the radiologist and pathologist agree on the findings. Sometimes the opinions of these two experts differ. For instance, the radiologist may find that your mammogram results suggest a more suspicious lesion such as breast cancer or a precancerous lesion, but your pathology report reveals only healthy breast tissue. In this situation, you may need more surgery to obtain more tissue to further evaluate the area.

If the pathology report says that breast cancer is present, it will include information about the cancer itself, such as what type of breast cancer you have and additional information, such as whether the cancer is hormone receptor positive or negative. You and your doctor can then develop a treatment plan that best suits your needs.