After Breast Cancer Surgery, Now Another Biopsy?

Providing realistic expectations about survivorship surveillance and future biopsies.

Compared with mastectomy, breast-conserving therapy (BCT) with lumpectomy and radiation yields similar survival despite modest risk for ipsilateral recurrence and contralateral new cancer. National guidelines recommend annual surveillance mammography after breast cancer treatment, which can lead to future biopsies — but what is the likelihood of such additional biopsies? In a cohort study of patients with breast cancer diagnoses from 2000 through 2011, investigators analyzed commercial insurance claims data for 42,000 women younger than 65 and the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)−Medicare database for 80,000 women 66 and older (median follow-up, 4–6 years).

Overall, 10% of younger women and 12% of older women underwent a br…

Reviewing Author

Laila Samiian, MD

Disclosures

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesAssociation of Women Surgeons (Member, Publications Committee)

Laila Samiian, MD

Disclosures

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesAssociation of Women Surgeons (Member, Publications Committee)

After Breast Cancer Surgery, Now Another Biopsy?

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Reviewing Author