Many women find breast mammogram exams very uncomfortable and painful that they delay or even avoid the breast cancer screening, resulting to detrimental consequences. Mammography procedure involves the squeezing of the breast tissue between cold, metal plates. However, a new technology in breast cancer research is being developed to ease the pain and relieve the fear of women. A scan that never touches the breast, known as dedicated breast computer tomography (CT), is being discussed by John M. Boone, PhD, of the University of California Davis Medical Center at the 50th meeting in the American Association of Physicists in Medicine. A gentle approach is offered by dedicated breast CT whereas the woman lies face down on a special table and suspends one breast through a hole. Then, a unique scanner circles the breast without the painful compression involved, and snap virtual “slices” of breast tissue. The procedure only takes a few seconds and the computer reconstructs the information into a highly detailed, 3-D image. While CT scanners have long been used to peer into the brain, lungs, and belly area, experts had dismissed the notion of breast CT for fear that standard CT machines would expose women to excessive radiation. However, the specialized cone beam breast CT (CBBCT) scanner, developed by Boone and colleagues, uses the same amount of radiation as a conventional mammogram. The research team’s initial tests on 160 women show that the scanner delivers high-resolution images that clearly demonstrate breast lesions. The procedure could be made available to women within the next 3-4 years, predicted Boone, a medical physicist. He said in a news release that dedicated breast CT is better than mammography for mass detection because the technique offers improved comfort to the patient and a better three-dimensional understanding of pathological lesions when they are present. However, the procedure has its limitation. When it comes to spotting tiny areas (microcalcifications) that may signal early breast cancer, dedicated breast CT can miss what mammography has become known for. Early this year, Boone’s team also started experimenting with a combined CT/PET breast scanner, which allows clinicians to track a tumor’s metabolic activity. Cancer cells have higher metabolic rates than healthy cells and look different on a PET (positron emission tomography) scan. The combined device would be used to monitor cancer and plan treatment in patients already diagnosed with the disease. Boone tells WebMD that PET/CT would not be used for screening because PET is too expensive and the radiation levels of both procedures would be too high for annual testing. “The PET/CT studies would be more useful for follow-up imaging after mammography, before or after treatment,” said Boone. For more information about health issues, wellness, FDA-approved medications and pharmacy solutions, log on to www.drugstoretm.com or call: 1-646-278-1136, Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 9:00pm (Pacific Standard Time). DrugstoreTM is a subsidiary of Alliance Healthcare Group dedicated to bring to the general public the most reasonable prices on FDA-approved medications as well as waived prescription fees, customer support, and free-shipping.
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