Bleeding risk after percutaneous breast needle biopsy in patients on anticoagulation therapy

Image-guided core needle biopsy (CNB) is the standard of care procedure for tissue diagnosis of suspicious breast lesions. While complications are exceedingly rare, the most common complications include bleeding and hematoma formation. With an increasing number of patients on anticoagulation therapy (AT), it is important to determine whether continuation of these medications during CNB increases bleeding risk. While previous studies have demonstrated the safety in continuation of AT during CNB, American College of Radiology (ACR) guidelines recommend practitioners decide whether cessation is necessary on a case-by-case basis as this may put patients at risk for thromboembolic events. The purpose of this review is to analyze the literature on anticoagulation and bleeding risk during CNB to guide clinical practice.