A BioZorb-Site Density Two Years After Lumpectomy Was Fat Necrosis
This breast cancer diagnosis at a glance
- Biomarkers
- ER-positive; PR-positive; HER2-negative.
- Sex
- Female
- Treatment
- surgery, radiation and surveillance
- Outcome
- Care Ongoing
Treatment course, step by step
- Right breast lumpectomy with BioZorb placement and negative sentinel-node biopsy was performed.
- Postoperative radiation was completed.
- Surveillance imaging continued after treatment.
- A new density at two years was biopsied and showed fat necrosis and benign cyst-wall material.
What happened, in summary
A 64-year-old woman had a 2.6 cm mass detected by screening mammography in the upper outer right breast. Biopsy showed grade 1–2 invasive mucinous carcinoma that was ER-positive, PR-positive, and HER2-negative.
She underwent right lumpectomy with placement of a BioZorb marker. Sentinel-node biopsy was negative, and postoperative radiation followed. Surveillance imaging continued after breast-conserving treatment.
Two years after lumpectomy, mammography showed a new density at the back of the absorbed BioZorb site. Additional views suggested a low-density process, and ultrasound found an echogenic mass in the same area. Although the appearance favored fat necrosis, the change required tissue confirmation because it was adjacent to the previous tumor bed.
Stereotactic biopsy showed amorphous material, a cyst wall, and a focus of fat necrosis. The pathology was considered concordant with the imaging findings, supporting a benign postoperative change rather than recurrent breast cancer. Her case demonstrates how BioZorb absorption and healing can create new findings that require biopsy during surveillance.
Where this story comes from
This is a lay summary of an account first published by PMC / PubMed Central. Read the original in full
How we source and attribute stories Accuracy and limitations
Collections this story belongs to
- ER Positive Breast Cancer 242 stories
- Lumpectomy for Breast Cancer 208 stories
These are lay summaries of published cancer stories, for information only. No two cancers behave the same way, and nothing here predicts your own diagnosis or replaces advice from your oncology team. Read the full disclaimer