Is needle aspiration of a breast cyst safe?
Ask the doctor
Q. Is there any risk associated with a needle biopsy to confirm a benign cyst in the breast?
A. A breast cyst is a collection of fluid within the breast. Cysts are quite common in women, occurring more often in women in their 40s and 50s. They are usually discovered by the woman or by a health care professional doing a clinical breast exam.
Cysts can arise just underneath the skin of the breast (superficial) or deep within the breast. When a superficial cyst is felt during a clinical exam, the health care professional can often predict whether it is just a cyst by how it feels. Cysts that are deeper in the breast will feel similar to solid lumps, due to the overlying breast tissue.
In general, doctors generally do not perform needle biopsies of breast cysts, but rather perform a needle aspiration of the cyst fluid. The doctor first numbs the skin with a local anesthetic. The needle used to inject the anesthetic is very tiny.
After the skin is numb, a slightly larger needle attached to a syringe is placed into the center of the fluid-containing cyst. The plunger of the syringe is pulled back.
This procedure should allow the cyst to collapse (sort of like breaking a blister). If the cyst could be felt before the aspiration, its physical presence should disappear. A cyst aspiration carries very little risk. These include a bruise where the needle was inserted or some bleeding into the cyst, both of which generally go away quickly.
A cyst aspiration is different than a biopsy because in a biopsy a snippet of tissue is removed. Only fluid is removed when a cyst is drained.
Nearly all cysts are not cancerous, although on very rare occasions the lining of the cyst may contain some cancer cells. Some doctors send the fluid for analysis after a cyst puncture; others feel the likelihood of finding any significant abnormality is so low as to make this analysis unnecessary. If the lumpiness that led to the diagnosis of a cyst continues, additional studies and procedures may need to be considered to determine the true nature of the underlying abnormality.
Image: © Jose Luis Pelaez/Getty Images
About the Author
Howard E. LeWine, MD, Chief Medical Editor, Harvard Health Publishing; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing
Disclaimer:
As a service to our readers, Harvard Health Publishing provides access to our library of archived content. Please note the date of last review or update on all articles.
No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.
