New biopsy method for breast cancer is faster, cheaper and more comfortable

New biopsy could improve breast cancer diagnosis A new method for performing biopsies could lead to faster and more accurate breast cancer diagnosis. CTV London's Celine Zadorsky has more.

London, Ont — Lawson Health Research Institute in London, Ont. has developed a new method of biopsy for breast cancer patients that promises to be cheaper, faster, and more comfortable.

Performing a biopsy by Contrast Enhanced Spectral Mammography (CESM) is a North American first according to Lawson.

The method is able to able to find cancer at a higher rate than a standard mammography and is almost as effective as an MRI.

How it works is patients receive an intravenous iodinated contrast liquid, which acts as a dye that increases the visibility of certain tissues during a mammography.

The procedure is said to be faster, more comfortable, and cost effective than an MRI biopsy.

Currently wait times for an MRI can be lengthy and that procedure can be long and uncomfortable.

The first CESM guided biopsy in North America was performed on June 12, 2020, at St. Joseph’s Health Care London.