Breast Triple Assessment

A breast triple assessment is straightforward, but we understand that this can be a daunting experience. Our experienced consultant radiologists and surgeons guide you through every stage, answering any questions you have and helping you to feel as comfortable as possible throughout the process.

To help you feel prepared, here’s what to expect from each stage:

Initial assessment

At your initial assessment, your consultant breast specialist will ask you a few questions about any symptoms you have and will take your medical and family history.

They’ll then do a physical examination of your breasts to look and feel for any abnormalities or lumps. This involves going over your whole breast area, including the nipples, and also over your neck, collarbones, and under your armpits.

Imaging

After your initial assessment, and depending on your age, you’ll have a mammogram and/or ultrasound scan.

During a mammogram, the breasts are compressed one at a time in a mammogram machine. This holds the breast tissue still while X-rays are taken. This may be uncomfortable, but it only lasts for a few minutes.

Our experienced consultant radiologist will then assess the images. Mammograms can help detect abnormalities before they’re felt and can also show tiny clusters of calcium called microcalcifications. Lumps or specks that show up on mammograms may be cancerous tumours, but they can also be other non-cancerous conditions, such as cysts, a collection of fatty cells, or fibrous tissue.

If an abnormality is seen on your mammogram, or if you have dense breasts, your radiologist may also need to perform an ultrasound scan. This can also help them identify if an abnormality or breast lump is solid or a fluid-filled cyst.

Biopsy

If an abnormality has been identified, a biopsy will need to be performed to collect a sample of fluid, cells or tissue, which will be tested for cancer cells.

There are 3 types of needle test that may be used: fine needle aspiration, core biopsy, and vacuum-assisted biopsy. These are all performed under a local anaesthetic and are guided with ultrasound or mammography.

Fine needle aspiration

Fine needle aspiration involves inserting a thin needle through the skin, which is guided with ultrasound to collect a sample of cells or fluid. It’s particularly helpful in distinguishing fluid-filled cysts from solid masses.

Core biopsy

A core biopsy takes a sample of tissue from the breast. A very small cut is made, and a needle is inserted and guided with ultrasound. A small sample of breast tissue is collected, and the needle is removed.

Vacuum-assisted biopsy

A small incision is made in the skin, and with the help of mammography, a needle with vacuum suction collects multiple tissue samples of breast tissue to be sent to the laboratory for testing. This type of biopsy is used to target calcifications that cannot be seen on ultrasound.

Getting your results

With this rapid diagnostic service, you’ll receive the results of your imaging in the same visit. If a biopsy is performed, your results will be available within 72 hours and delivered to you by your consultant at a follow-up appointment, where they will also explain any next steps.

If cancer is found, they may arrange for you to have further tests such as an MRI, PET and/or CT scan, blood tests, and a bone scan.

Any treatment needed will be based on the results of all of these tests combined, and will be explained to you in depth by your consultant.

While we endeavour for your screening to be as smooth and straightforward as possible, in some cases, there may not be time to perform all of the necessary tests at one appointment.

This is particularly true if a vacuum biopsy is required, as this may need to be booked on another day due to availability.

Wherever possible, it’s important for us to be able to access previous breast imaging, as this allows your radiologist to compare images and identify any changes or if a suspicious area is long-standing. If there are no images available for comparison, this may mean that an area is biopsied unnecessarily.

If you’ve had any breast imaging elsewhere, it’s very important to inform us before you come for your appointment, as this allows us to successfully retrieve them to be used for comparison.

There’s no specific preparation needed to have a breast triple assessment. However, you may wish to wear clothing that’s easy to remove. If you’d like someone to come with you for support, you’re very welcome to bring a family member or friend to your appointment.

There’s no recovery time or aftercare needed after your consultation or after having a mammogram or ultrasound. If a biopsy is required, this can cause some pain, and there will be some aftercare to consider – your consultant will talk you through what's needed.

Our prices are as follows:

Consultation with a breast surgeon: From £200 to £300

Mammogram: £315

Bilateral breast ultrasound: £368

Mammogram and ultrasound package on the same day: £525

Needle biopsy tests: From £1300

Our consultants are recognised by the major health insurance companies. If you have private health insurance, your treatment at Welbeck can begin once you have obtained authorisation. We also provide care to self-paying patients. Learn more about the different payment options at Welbeck.

We understand that needing to have a breast triple assessment can feel scary. That’s why we’ve taken great care to ensure you feel at ease every step of the way. At Welbeck, our consultant radiologists, mammographers and breast surgeons are experts in their field and are dedicated to providing world-class care to every patient.

With access to colleagues across other specialities, our consultants are also able to refer within the Welbeck ecosystem if needed to ensure you receive the best treatment as quickly as possible, all under one roof.

All appointments, testing, treatment, and follow-up appointments take place within our state-of-the-art facilities, enabling us to deliver accurate diagnostics and advanced treatments.

This service is available to women and men of all ages, and we accept both self-referrals and referrals from clinicians for this service.

To book your screening appointment, get in touch with our Women’s Health centre. Your health is important to us, so we strive to offer same-day appointments whenever possible.