Kathryn Eckert, DO, a breast surgeon at Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center, discussed her role coordinating with radiology colleagues after Hologic’s Brevera Breast Biopsy System Disposable 9 Gauge Needle was recalled in January 2026. The FDA has since recommended that health care providers diversify needle gauges and lengths to conserve supply during the shortage, which the agency expects to last into 2027. Eckert focused on how her surgical practice has worked to support radiology colleagues across both hospital-based and community settings during this time.

To read the full discussion with Eckert and her colleague Harriet Borofsky, MD, visit: https://www.cancernetwork.com/view/half-a-year-into-the-breast-biopsy-needle-shortage-clinicians-lean-on-networks-not-workarounds

Transcript

CancerNetwork: Are you able to speak to your role in this shortage specifically, and how you’re approaching it with your patients?

Eckert: When we first heard about this, my role as part of the broader interdisciplinary team caring for [patients with] breast cancer has been making sure we support our radiology colleagues however we can. My partners and I have had a lot of open communication with Dr. [Harriet] Borofsky, our primary radiology partner, just to make sure she has all the resources she needs to keep the workflow seamless between our 2 departments. We’ve done the same with our community partners. It’s an interesting challenge, and I know a lot of breast surgeons across the country are experiencing this, because the majority of breast surgery is still done in community settings, and we’re a bit of a hybrid between a community setting and a large academic institution. Keeping open lines of communication with our community partners, to make sure they’re supported too, is key, because everyone uses slightly different technology, and the adaptations have had to look a little different at every location. But by and large, we’ve been very lucky that our partners on all fronts are on top of it and working together to make the appropriate adjustments, so patients are still getting excellent care.

Reference

Disruptions in availability of breast biopsy needles: letter to health care providers. News release. FDA. June 16, 2026. Accessed July 8, 2026. https://tinyurl.com/6ej3dufn