metal marker placed in breast biopsy

[whitemeadow]

I am scheduled for a biopsy Tuesday and am wondering about the pros and cons of having this metal placed in my breast, possibly for the rest of my life.  Even though surgical steel and gold seem congruent with my body in terms of pierced ears, I wonder about the long terms effects of having a piece of metal in my breast.


This discussion is related to BI-RADS 4 Calcifications, Please help.

[lexiefischer]

A related discussion, will titaanium marker always be removed during excisional biopsy? was started.

[40yroldmom]

I had two markers put in place last month after a ultrasound guided biopsy.  They were tiny, about half the size of a staple.  I couldn't feel them at all, and it did make it easier for the docs to find the spots for the excisional biopsy the next week.  No big deal.  Good luck on the biopsy results.    

[whitemeadow]

Thanks for the reassuring info, Zouzi.

Tinabudde, it is placed there to keep track of the abnormality in case of surgery or for further imaging.

[Tinabudde]

Hi white, why would they leave the marker in there?  I haven't heard of that before, usually it's inserted then removed.  Who said it would be permanent?

[zouzi]

Hi,
When you'll have a minimally invasive breast biopsy, such as a core or stereotactic breast biopsy, the standard of care is to place a tiny stainless steel or titanium clip on the spot where the tissue was sampled.

The clip serves as a landmark to identify the area that was biopsied on future mammograms. If there's ever a need for surgical removal of more tissue, then the surgeon can use the clip as a bull's-eye marker during surgery.

The clip will be automatically removed if the surgeon does an open excisional procedure on that area.Some women decide to remove it,for whatever reason,but it will make it harder for a radiologist to read future mammograms.

The titanium chip is the size of a "Pinhead" It is not felt or cause any pain and will not "travel" anywhere -- not to the heart, not to the brain, nowhere. It will remain within the breast tissue, in the exact spot it is placed, until surgically removed.
Ultimately it's your choice to have it removed if it causes you any problem.
Please discuss with your treating doctors concerning this matter,so that you can be reassured .
Hoping that your biopsy will go smoothly and with Benign results!!
Best wishes and good luck!