檢查乳房健康狀況，一般會先進行乳房超聲波或X光造影檢查。乳房超聲波檢查可以看到腫塊﹑增生﹑水腫瘤。X光造影可檢查乳房鈣化點。如醫生發現當中有可疑病變的情況，一般會建議病人從乳房抽取活組織化驗，再詳細化驗以辨別它屬良性還是惡性（即癌細胞），以決定日後的診治並跟進。

幼針穿刺和粗針穿刺是常見的抽取乳房組織方法。

Breast imaging commonly includes ultrasound and mammography. Imaging can help detect calcifications, architectural distortions and nodules. If your doctor identifies suspicious lesions, tissue sampling would be recommended for further investigation.

Fine needle aspiration and Core Biopsy are common methods for breast intervention.

幼針穿刺 Fine Needle Aspiration (FNA)

幼針穿刺（簡稱FNA）：醫生使用一根幼針(約1mm)，與一般抽血所使用的針頭差不多，不用麻醉，直接插入乳房抽取小量水腫瘤/增生/腫塊細胞樣本，再交由細胞學家或病理學家在顯微鏡下檢查該樣本組織。

Fine Needle Aspiration (FNA): The doctor uses a fine needle to directly puncture the breast to take cell samples, just likely taking blood. These cells would be sent to the pathologist to look under the microscope.

粗針穿刺活檢 Core Biopsy

粗針穿刺比幼針可以抽取更多細胞組織，有助於分辨出細胞本質有沒有侵蝕性。病人需接受局部麻醉，醫生會使用一支特別的「核芯」針來抽取乳房組織。需要時可能經同一位置重覆抽取樣本2-3次，以抽取足夠細胞進行化驗，每次抽取組織後會有小傷口約2mm，會交由病理學專家來化驗。

Core biopsy can extract more tissue and can distinguish whether cancer cells are invasive or not. Local anaesthesia would be injected into the breast and a tiny 2mm incision wound would be made. A special "core" needle would be used to take 2-3 tissue samples. These would be sent to the pathologist to examine under a microscope.