Archives: Screening
Archived articles below are about screening. Looking for other topics? Select a category or browse to view links to older news and journal articles about breast cancer.
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Best diagnostic tool you've never heard of?
Hear Dr. Deborah Rhodes talk about molecular breast imaging at a recent TED talk in this clip from YouTube. This one has gone viral on the Internet. See what all the fuss is about.
All about inflammatory breast cancer
A scary e-mail continues to circulate about a very scary type of breast cancer. Get the facts about inflammatory breast cancer from the folks at M.D.Anderson.
Digital mammography reduces radiation exposure
Screening with digital mammography exposes women to a lesser glandular radiation dose per view compared to screen-film mammography, according to a study in the February American Journal of Roentgenology. Read more.
Mammography guidelines unleash spirited debate
New mammography guidelines proposing women not be tested regularly until age 50 are generating lots of discussion on social networking sites and health blogs. Read the study and the news to decide what you think:
- Here's the study itself from the Agency for Health Care and Quality.
- Here's the news story from The New York Times.
- At least one breast cancer advocacy group is organizing a petition against such guidelines. Read more from BreastCancer.org.
Computer-aided screening not as promising
Computer-aided screening is not as effective as hoped in finding invasive cancers. This process works in conjunction with traditional mammograms, providing radiologists another tool to assess breast health. (Note: This is not the same as breast MRI.) Read more about it.
In your 40s? Consult doctors for mammography advice
Women in their 40s should ask doctors about their risk profiles to determine how often they should get mammograms. Read more about it.
Dense tissue now a risk factor
Dense tissue may be a risk, not just a detection issue. Women who have extensive dense tissue in their breasts are more likely to develop cancer than those who do not, according to a Canadian study released in February. Read more about it.
New diagnostic tool eliminates 'squeeze'
The Cone Beam Breast Computed Tomography scanner takes 360-degree views of breast anatomy, with no need to compress the breast between cold glass plates. Sound good? Read more about it.
Digital mammography tops traditional film
Mammograms that rely on digital images are better than traditional film-based tests for identifying breast cancers in certain women, according to a groundbreaking new study. Unfortunately, neither the Breast Center nor Southern Indiana Radiological Center (SIRA) offers digital mammography, but stay tuned for updates. In Indianapolis, Wishard Health Services offers digital mammography. Call (317)656-3900 for details.
In the meantime, read the article about why digital is better.
Mammography-detected cases more treatable
Breast cancer found through mammography, as opposed to cancers found through self-exam or those that are palpable, may be treated more successfully. Read the article from M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, which conducted the study.
Benign disease still a risk factor
The New England Journal of Medicine reports on a study that finds that women with "benign" breast disease have a higher risk for developing breast cancer. Read a report here.
Saliva test may screen for cancer
Breast cancer screening may one day be as simple as assessing a saliva sample, according to new research from UCLA. Read more here.
Can hair screen for cancer?
Scientists are looking at a method that examines hair through x-ray diffraction to diagnose breast cancer and monitor outcomes, according to a new study. Read more here.
Computers aid in cell detection
Computer-aided diagnostics help radiologists spot small breast tumors that may otherwise be missed, a study shows. Read more here.
Wanted: qualified radiologists
Mammography facilities are facing dire shortages of qualified radiologists and certified technologists to screen and diagnose patients, according to the journal Radiology. Read more here.
Breast density may be result of HRT
Women who take combination hormone replacement for menopause for one year experience a twofold increase in breast density and a quadrupled risk of having an abnormal mammogram, according to the Women's Health Initiative. Read more here.
Clinical breast exam offers little benefit
Adding clinical breast examination to a mammography screening program provides only a modest benefit in detecting cancer, according to a study reported in the American Journal of Roentgenology. Read more here.
Low-income, rural women not getting mammograms
A survey of low-income, rural women found that seven of 10 report their physicians aren't ordering mammograms, 40 percent didn't know mammograms check for breast cancer, and half did not know that Pap smears check for cervical cancer. Read the report here.
Many of these factors are particularly striking among Native Americans, according to a study in Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. Read more here.
Advanced cancer patients hadn't had mammograms
The National Institutes of Health reports that as many as 92 percent of late-stage breast cancer cases could be diagnosed and treated earlier, with better chances of effective treatment. Many women diagnosed with Stage IV breast cancer had not undergone routine mammorgraphy within the prior one to three years, the NIH found. Read the report here.
Obesity may skew mammogram results
We've all read about the need for diet and exercise to battle cancer, but now studies are indicating that obesity hampers mammography. Obese women are at increased risk for having their mammograms read as abnormal when, in fact, everything is okay, according to a report in the Archives of Internal Medicine. Read more here>>>>
Mammogram alone not enough, some say
Combining mammogram with other techniques may improve detection. These range from computer-aided diagnostic tools that provide a second set of eyes for radiology docs to breast MRI and ultrasound.
- Read about the CAD tool here.
- Read about MRI and ultrasound at at Artemis.
Recently trained radiologists may interpret mammograms more accurately
Radiologists who have received more recent training tend to interpret screening mammograms more accurately than do physicians who trained earlier, according to the results of a new study. Contrary to prevailing opinion, Dr. Craig A. Beam and colleagues found that high levels of accuracy do not correlate with high volumes, years of experience, or auditing the results of mammograms from women who subsequently undergo breast biopsies. Read more about it >>>>
