One Stop Breast Clinic

For the radiological assessment, we are backed by competent breast radiologists and technicians who provide all latest breast imaging services.

• Mammogram- 3D Tomosynthesis: A mammogram is basically an Xray of the breast. It is the most commonly done radiology exam for any patient with breast complaints such as lump or nipple discharge. It is also used as a screening test for women above the age of 40 to detect early breast lesions. The 3D Tomosythesis machine available at our centre helps in more precise assessment in denser breasts. The mammogram helps us in understanding any abnormality of the breast and the likelihood of it being cancerous.
• Ultrasound :For younger women, the first test done is often an ultrasound of the breasts. When done by an expert, it can give reliable information about the nature of any lesion, its extent, size, number etc and the status of the lymph nodes in the axilla.
• MRI:: Contract enhanced MRI of the breast is used as a problem solving tool especially in younger women, dense breasts, patients with suspicious nipple discharge etc.

The third prong of triple assessment is tissue diagnosis i.e. taking a sample from the suspicious area and testing it under the microscope by a pathologist

• Core biopsy: This test involved taking a small piece of the suspicious lump using a special instrument called the biopsy gun/needle. It is done under local anaesthesia to ensure that it is painless and preferably, under image guidance to ensure accuracy of sampling. The sample is sent to the pathology department and the result is often ready in 3-4 days. Additional tests such as Immuohistochemistry (IHC) are used to subtype the disease if cancer is confirmed.
• FNA (Fine needle aspiration): This involves taking a few cells from the suspicious area and testing it using Cytopathology techniques. It is quick and is mainly used for testing lymph nodes in the armpit and sometimes, for very small breast lesions.

Staging tests

In cases where the presence of cancer is confirmed, staging tools are needed to know what is the extent of the disease. These tests include blood work up, chest XRay, abdominal ultrasound, bone scan, CT scan of the thorax, abdomen or bone scan, Full body 18FDG PET scan etc. Depending on the clinical findings, suitable staging tests are needed in certain cases.

All these facilities are available at our centre and we are happy to provide a one stop solution to all the needs a breast patient may have.