Making the diagnosis

Dramatic changes have occurred in the approach to the diagnosis of breast cancer. Increased screening has resulted in the diagnosis of occult lesions, many of which represent tumors that are not invasive, and smaller invasive cancers. It is now generally accepted that the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer requires a multidisciplinary approach and that open biopsy not only provides the histologic diagnosis but also may represent definitive surgical treatment. Thus, diagnostic studies should represent the optimal approach to establishing the histology of the lesion without compromising later definitive treatment.