Diagnostic Tests

If your health care provider notices something unusual, they may order tests to find out if it is cancer:

  • Ultrasound: Uses sound waves to create pictures (sonograms) of the breast.
  • Diagnostic mammogram: A more detailed X-ray than a regular screening.
  • Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): A magnetic scan that provides detailed images of breast tissue.
  • Biopsy: Removes a small piece of tissue or fluid to check for cancer cells under a microscope.

Treatment Options

Treatment depends on the type and stage of breast cancer. People with breast cancer often get more than one type of treatment.

  • Surgery: An operation where providers remove cancer tissue.
  • Chemotherapy: Using medicines to shrink or kill cancer cells. The medicine might be pills you take, given through an intravenous (IV) tube or both.
  • Hormonal therapy: Treatment that blocks the hormones that cancer cells need to grow.
  • Biological therapy: Helps your immune system fight cancer or manage side effects from other treatments.
  • Radiation: Uses high-energy rays to kill cancer cells in the breast or nearby areas.

Breast cancer care often involves a team of doctors working together to create the best plan for you.

Surgeons are doctors that perform operations. Medical oncologists are doctors that treat cancers with medicines. Radiation oncologists are doctors that treat cancers with radiation.

Resources and Support

Need help finding services in NC? Contact your local health department to ask about BCCCP or WISEWOMAN. Check your eligibility.

NC resource hub

Get guides, journals, fact sheets, flyers and more: NC Cancer Prevention Resource Hub.

Trusted organizations

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