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 by Statistics Canada in 2008 indicated that 72% of women aged between 50 and 69 reported having a mammogram over the past two years. However, only 40% of adults over 50 years of age are screened regularly for colorectal cancer, even though early testing can sometimes prevent cancer.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) this month became the first U.S. medical center to offer a speedier cancer radiation therapy. The new RapidArc therapy, which is the next-generation of intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), can turn a 20-minute radiotherapy session into a 90-second session for selected cancer patients. Additionally, the new therapy saves healthy human tissue from unwanted radiation exposure at rates that are similar to or better than other radiotherapy techniques. Faster radiation delivery times reduce the chances that a slight move will affect the accuracy of the radiotherapy targeting.

A team of doctors, along with the Sense About Science charitable trust, based in the U.K., has said that it does not agree with the way the Do It Yourself (DIY) tests are being targeted at the general public. Previously, U.K. government advisors had warned private firms offering body scans. A study by the Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment (Comare) also said that cancer risks may increase if people expose themselves to radiations through unnecessary scans.