Question

What is best for the diagnosis of a firm, hard, mobile nodule in the right breast of a post menopausal woman?

• A. FNAC
• B. Excision biopsy
• C. Mammography
• D. Needle biopsy

Hint:

A firm, hard, discrete breast lump is best diagnosed by removing and checking the whole lump.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

The question asks which test best diagnoses a firm, hard, mobile breast lump in a postmenopausal woman. Look at each option for how much tissue it actually gives the pathologist.

1. FNAC: Draws only loose cells with a fine needle. Quick, but a hard fibrous lump does not always yield enough cells, so it can give a false negative.
2. Excision biopsy: Removes the entire lump with a rim of normal tissue. The whole specimen is examined, so no area is left unchecked, and small localized lesions get treated at the same time.
3. Mammography: An imaging study that raises or lowers suspicion by shape and calcification pattern, but gives no cell or tissue sample, so it cannot confirm a diagnosis by itself.
4. Needle biopsy: Takes a thin core of tissue, better than FNAC, but still only a partial sample of a hard lump, so it can still miss disease.

Since it examines the complete lump instead of a partial sample, excision biopsy gives the most dependable diagnosis for this firm, discrete nodule.

Let's summarize:

• FNAC and needle biopsy sample only part of the lump and can miss disease in a hard lesion.
• Mammography only images the lump, it does not sample tissue.
• Excision biopsy removes and examines the whole lump, giving the most complete answer.

So excision biopsy is the best choice here.