Breast Cancer Diagnosis

Winship’s Glenn Family Breast Center has a team of radiologists and pathologists dedicated solely to diagnosing and staging breast cancer, and they see a high volume of patients, meaning they are experts at what they do. But we don’t stop there. We go beyond diagnosis and staging to analyze your cancer all the way down to the molecular level to determine exactly what’s driving it — so we can figure out how best to stop it. Having a full and complete picture of your individual cancer is what allows us to select the right treatments for you.

If you experience symptoms of breast cancer, your doctor feels a lump during a breast exam or you have abnormal mammography results, you’ll need further testing to determine if cancer is present. In many cases, it’s nothing to worry about. But we recommend scheduling additional testing right away so that, in the event it is cancer, we can start treating it right away.

If cancer is detected, we’ll take a closer look to ensure you receive a thorough and accurate breast cancer diagnosis. We take a multi-stage approach to diagnosing cancer, because it’s imperative we understand your cancer to treat it properly. We know you’re anxious to move forward with treatment, but getting a full and precise breast cancer diagnosis is critical, and it won’t take long, we promise.

Diagnostic imaging. At Winship, we have access to the most up-to-date imaging technology that helps us diagnose and stage breast cancer. We use 3-D mammography, breast MRI and breast ultrasound to examine lumps for cancer. For patients with locally advanced cancers, we also use computed tomography (CT) and other imaging tests, including positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to determine if and how far the disease has spread throughout the body.

Biopsy. The only way to definitively determine if a mass in the breast is cancerous is to remove a sample of it (biopsy) and test it in the lab. Our team of dedicated breast radiologists uses needle biopsy whenever possible to collect samples for testing without having to perform surgery.

Pathology. If your tumor is determined to be cancerous, our dedicated breast pathologists will conduct specialized testing to understand what characteristics are driving your particular breast cancer, and then work with your oncologists to determine which types of treatment are most likely to work on your cancer.

Genetic counseling and testing. It’s estimated that fewer than 10% of breast cancers are caused by an inherited genetic trait, meaning the vast majority of breast cancers are not caused by inherited genetic mutations. Still, at Winship, we make genetic counseling and testing available to all of our breast cancer patients, whether or not you have a family history of breast cancer. Genetic testing can help your physicians design a more-informed treatment plan, select the right targeted therapy for your cancer, and prevent recurrence and the development of other cancers. The information can even help you protect your family members from breast cancer.