From WebMD:Several tests for breast cancer haven't been shown to be accurate enough to replace a standard biopsy, states a government report.
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) reviewed studies of four common noninvasive tests that can be used to detect breast cancer after a woman has an abnormal mammogram or abnormal breast exam. The four tests are:
Positive Emission Tomograpy (PET) scans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
Ultrasonography (ultrasound)
Scintimammography (mammogram enhanced by a radioactive tracer)
"We found that these tests, while reasonably accurate, could still miss a substantial number of cancers if used to try to avoid a biopsy," AHRQ director Carolyn Clancy, MD, told reporters, in a teleconference.
"The risk of missing a cancer is sufficiently high that we conclude that these tests should not routinely replace a biopsy," she says.
A standard breast biopsy is done using a needle or an incision to sample the suspicious area. Because they break the skin, these biopsies are considered invasive.
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