We can diagnose or rule out the disease through radiological investigations, we can also discover its extent and evaluate response to treatment. At HC Marbella we provide all the following diagnostic tests:

• Tomosynthesis, 3D mammography, detects 40% more cases of invasive breast cancer.
• Breast ultrasound, supplementary to mammography and the initial study for women under the age of 40.
• 3 Tesla Magnetic Resonance Imaging, is the best imaging test to assess the size of the tumour, discover if there are further areas in the same breast, or even if there are findings in the other breast.
• PET-CT, is the diagnostic tool of choice for medical specialists, essential for cancer staging and monitoring of treatment.

Biopsy is an interventional breast procedure that is used to obtain samples of the lesion that we need to study, to then send for pathological analysis to discover exactly what type the lesion is.

• Fine Needle Aspiration (FNA)
• Core needle biopsy or image-guided vacuum-assisted needle biopsy (CNB or VAB)
• Stereotactic biopsy
• Sentinel Node Biopsy

A small percentage of breast cancers are due to inherited mutations. These mutations are usually inherited from one or both parents. In breast cancer:

• Carriers of such inherited mutations do not necessarily develop the disease, but their risk of developing it at some point in their lives is higher.
• We discuss genetic risks when faced with those whose families have multiple cases of cancer, or in those cases where the diagnosis has been made at an unusually young age.
• The BRCA 1, BRCA 2, or other genes of lower prevalence, predispose those who carry these mutations to suffer from breast cancer, ovarian cancer, male breast cancer, as well as cancers of the prostate and pancreas.

Genomic tests or platforms are studies that are performed on the tumour or tumour cell specimens to check for abnormal genes.

• They allow us to have a very reliable idea of the tumour’s genetic map.
• They give a clear idea of the prognosis and possible treatments.
• They are especially useful when the potential benefit of adding chemotherapy, after surgery in patients with breast cancer who have been operated on at an early stage, is in doubt.