When breast lesions look suspicious on mammograms and ultrasounds, biopsies often are done—but 80% of breast biopsies turn out to be benign, so many women experience unnecessary pain and anxiety. Elastography is a software addition to the standard breast ultrasound and measures lesions’ compressibility (cancerous lesions are stiffer than benign ones). New study: 179 patients underwent breast ultrasound and elastography…134 biopsies were then done on solid lesions. Biopsy results showed that elastography had correctly identified 98% of lesions that turned out to be malignant and 82% of lesions that turned out to be benign—for a false-positive rate of just 18%. Best: If your doctor recommends breast biopsy, ask about first doing an ultrasound with elastography, as this technique may further help classify the lesion as worrisome or benign.
