Better Breast Biopsies

Kim Mote has made it her mission to give the same advice to women whenever she can: “Life gets busy, but don’t skip your mammogram for anything.”

A mammography technologist with the Franciscan Health Lafayette East Diagnostic Breast Center, Kim, who’s 58, has always practiced what she preaches, with clear, thumbs-up results every year.

Until 2020.

That’s when Kim suddenly had a reason to be thankful for her diligence. Her annual mammogram revealed a distortion in the breast that needed further follow up. After additional imaging, Madelyn Lefranc, MD, a diagnostic radiologist at the Breast Center, recommended a stereotactic (mammography-guided) biopsy.

“I was surprised and a little in denial about what she saw,” Kim said. “You always think breast cancer’s not going to happen to you.”

For most women, a breast biopsy means worry – about the results and the pain of having the procedure. However, Kim felt confident the biopsy would clear her of any cancer worries. She also knew a new breast biopsy system – the Brevera – would make the procedure faster and more comfortable.

Brevera Reduces Biopsy Time

The Franciscan Health Lafayette East Diagnostic Breast Center began using the Brevera system a year ago thanks to financial support from the Franciscan Health Foundation.

“We were really excited to get it,” said Sueleen Bailey, mammography supervisor at the Breast Center.

That’s not surprising since Bailey and Dr. Lefranc consulted with the manufacturer during the system’s development stage. They weren’t disappointed in the finished product. It upgrades the way breast biopsies are done in many ways, Bailey said.

With the Brevera system, patients lie face down on a padded table with their breast positioned in an opening in the table. (Some patients sit upright for the procedure if it allows better access to the area in question.) The table raises, allowing the radiologist to perform the procedure from below.

“The equipment rotates around the patient so we can access the breast from all directions,” said Bailey. “It’s amazing technology.”

“Before the Brevera, we had to take the sample, separate the tissue, and go to a different room to X-ray it, all while the patient is under compression with a needle in her breast,” said Bailey. “The beauty of this system is we know right away when we have tissue we need. Before the Brevera, the doctor needed more samples to make sure she wasn’t missing anything. The table, technology and needle decrease the time on the table. It’s all beneficial for the patient.”

Kim vouches for that.

“The idea of having a needle in your breast is never good. But with the Brevera, it was really quick – I wasn’t on the table more than 10 minutes – and the discomfort wasn’t bad at all," she said.

The biopsy results weren’t what Kim expected. The biopsy revealed a radial scar, more aggressive cells that have the potential to turn into breast cancer. During surgery to remove it, the surgeon found a tumor that was very small but growing moderately. The surgeon removed the tumor and a small amount of tissue around it. Kim also had intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT), a high dose of targeted radiation delivered during surgery directly to the affected area.

Kim is cancer-free, with follow-up imaging scheduled to keep watch that she stays that way.

“I will be diligent about having a mammogram without fail,” she said. “I know how important it is. If I’d waited and missed just one year, I could have invasive breast cancer and be looking at chemo. I feel very blessed I didn’t wait on the mammogram, and we found the cancer early.”