Mammography:

Detects tissue asymmetry, abnormal masses, microcalcifications, and skin thickening

Radiologic procedures:

Chest X- rays may show pulmonary metastases
CT scans of liver & brain may show systemic metastases
Radionuclide bone scanning may show metastatic lesions

Fine needle aspiration cytology:

An out patient procedure
Immediate results
Relatively atraumatic
Can not differentiate between in-situ & invasive carcinoma
Can distinguish ductal from lobular carcinoma

Core biopsy:
An out patient procedure performed under local anesthesia
In-situ disease can be differentiated from invasive disease
A greater appraisal of the grade & type of tumor is possible

Open surgical biopsy:

Requires hospital admission.Usually done under general anesthesia
A definitive method for the diagnosis of disease

Ultrasound:

Differentiates cystic from solid lesions
Is not diagnostic of malignancy

Other laboratory tests: