Doctors have come up with a revolutionary new mammogram that is radiation and pain free! They are using ultrasound technology to detect tumors in the breast. Radiologists from the Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit, USA, suspend a woman’s breasts in water and fire ultrasound rays through them to generate images of the breast tissue. Not only is the new method pain free, it is said to be more accurate at picking up cancer than a traditional mammogram and uses no radiation so it’s safer for the patient.

A study conducted at the PLA 301 Hospital in Beijing has found that Medipattern’s B-CAD Version 2 increases precision in diagnostic process significantly, when used on lesions smaller than 1 cm. A 44 % improvement was recorder in accuracy of the diagnostic process. The company has been developing software solutions for medical use, bringing about advancements in the imaging field. The recent finding reinforces the capability of its products to detect small cancers.

According to the results of a major new clinical trial, adding a screening ultrasound examination to routine mammography reveals more breast cancers than mammography alone. This study also showed that supplemental ultrasound may be beneficial in women at high risk of breast cancer who could not, or would not, otherwise undergo a magnetic resonance imaging scan. The trial, however, also found that adding an ultrasound exam increases the rate of false positive findings and unnecessary biopsies.

The American Society of Breast Disease’s Consensus Committee has corroborated that screening MRI is appropriate as an additional test to mammography, clinical breast examination, and ultrasonography for the detection of breast cancer in women who are at high risk. The recommendation was based on the most current data available.

Photo by Ctd 2005

According to a Dutch study, the often-used MRI scans to detect breast cancer frequently scare women unnecessarily. Five out of six scans were found to be incorrect, although the women concerned were going for mastectomies only after careful analysis. Published in the Annals of Oncology, the study further states that women with certain genes face 85% risk of breast cancer.

A survey conducted on over 860,000 women aged 70-75 years indicated that breast cancer screening is effective and reduces deaths from the disease in women aged up to 75 years old. In another study carried over about 100,000 women between the age group of 50 and 62 years indicated that the best interval for screening was every three years, which contradicts arguments that women should have mammograms more frequently.