Titanium marker for breast biopsy
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Anonymous
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Hi, I'm scheduled for a core needle breast biopsy this week. I am concerned with what I have read about the titanium marker. I would like to decline this marker. If you had this marker, have you had any problems with it? What are the pros and cons of getting it vs. not getting it?
If my results are cancer, I will be getting a mastectomy. I always go to the same place for my mammograms (and will continue to do so), so moving and not having access to prior films for comparison is not an issue. Thanks! |
Anonymous
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Why are you concerned?
I had it inserted during a biopsy and it promptly fell out the needle injection site and was lost (they said this is kinda common) so I don't actually have one. But the point of them is to show where the biopsy was, and if my biopsy had revealed cancer I would have needed a second marker inserted. My only question about getting it was whether it would be an issue in future MRIs (no). I hope your biopsy goes well. |
Anonymous
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OP here.
I am also afraid of the marker getting lost in my breast, so that is one concern. Another concern is that I have a nickel allergy, so I worry about that. Additionally, I have already decided that if it shows cancer, I am getting a mastectomy, so I won't need a marker. I'm trying to figure out if there are additional reasons why I should get it. |
Anonymous
I have a nickel allergy and 2 titanium post dental implants. I have had no reaction in the 14 years I've had them. I don't have experience with markers, but I thought they were placed to avoid unecessary procedures afterward because the biopsy changes the appearance of the tissue. Good luck. You will get through this. |
Anonymous
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I'm the PP and I also have a nickel allergy. That's a skin sensitivity and it's not typical to have the same issue with implants.
I think that biopsy results are not always as conclusive as "yes cancer, masectomy" vs "no cancer" and you may end up wanting the marker in a "wait and see" situation. But, you could get it inserted later. Honestly it sounds like this is just something you've decided to have control over in a scary situation. Which is fine! It's pretty harmless either way so you should get to choose. I hope everything turns out well. |
Anonymous
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I have had two prior breast biopsies and have two titanium marker. Going to have another one tomorrow for another fast growing tumor that has appeared in the last 6 months and feels as big as a grape.
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Anonymous
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OP, what exactly are you concerned about?
Also - is it optional to not have a marker? I don't recall ever being given a choice about this. My priority is finding out if I have breast cancer. |
Anonymous
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Op your concerns are unfounded.
1) the marker is miniscule 2) it is titanium not nickel 3) it is clipped in and cannot “get lost.” That is the point of placing it. 4) the purpose is to show future mammographers that that spot has already been biopsied, thus sparing you from future unnecessary procedures when the same spot is marked suspicious on future mammograms. |
Anonymous
OP, I also have a nickel allergy. Nickel is not titanium. I had no problem with a titanium marker. Lots of medical devices are made with titanium precisely because it is not a metal to which most people are allergic. Nickel is a pretty common metal allergy. You need the titanium marker even if you are getting a mastectomy. During the mastectomy, the doctor removes all your breast tissue in one chunk. (Think of it like a de-boned chicken breast but larger.). That breast tissue - all in one piece - is then sent to the pathology lab, where it is sectioned into multiple slices (mine had like 30 slices). The pathologist examines each slice for cancer. The titanium marker(s) are the only way that the pathologist can be sure that he is looking in the right place in the right section for your cancer. (Other side it’s like looking for a needle in a haystack.). It’s important to find the cancer and examine the exact margins of it to determine whether the doctor “got a big enough margin”. If the margin is 2 mm or greater, then the odds that the entire cancer was captured are good. If not, depending on the situation, you may need additional surgery or treatment or take more care in monitoring. I would strongly recommend that you get the marker(s). The doctor can’t examine ever millimeter of every slice in the same way he will examine the particular area of the slice where the marker is. |
Anonymous
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Why would anyone think that if you react to nickel, you would also react to titanium? |
Anonymous
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Titanium is not nickel. I had patch tests prior to knee replacement and found out I was violently allergic to chrome and nickel. My knees are titanium. No problem.
The marker will identify an area as having been biopsied. That is useful for radiologists reading images. You might eventually go somewhere else and why forclose that. Are you certain you do have cancer? If so, let them remove it then. If not, it's useful as described above. I did, and it was useful just before surgery to put a wire in to help surgeon find area. This may not apply to you. I am sorry you think you are heading for a mastectomy. It's natural to want to control what you think you can. But really, the marker is not something to fixate on. Best wishes. It's not going to wander through your body. |
Anonymous
| Follow up. They need to do pathology on the cancer to see its genetic nature and hormone sensitivity. That's imprecise language but the marker helps find itl |
Anonymous
I'm PP following up on this. I wonder if OP has read about Nickel-Titanium alloys and is worried about that being used? |
Anonymous
Some titanium alloys contain nickel. But nickel allergy is very common so I would be surprised if the implants do contain nickel, that would be poor planning from the manufacturer. |
Anonymous
I’m very sensitive to metals including nickel, and I had no issue with the titanium marker. |