Photoacoustic imaging promises breast cancer screening without ionizing radiation
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The Twente Photoacustic Mammoscope (PAM) integrated into a bed so patients can be scanned laying down (Photo: Michelle Heijblom, University of Twente)
Diagnostic images of a mixed infiltrating lobular and ductal carcinoma in the right breast of a 57 year old patient (Image: Michelle Heijblom, University of Twente)
Article Summary
While breast cancer screening tests are accepted as safe – and we definitely wouldn’t want to scare anyone off from a potentially life-saving test – they do have some risks associated with them. The most obvious being the exposure to low doses of ionizing radiation, which in itself is a risk factor for breast cancer. X-ray mammography can also give false positive and negative results. In the quest for a safer, more accurate alternative, Dutch researchers have provided proof of concept that photoacoustic imaging can be used to detect and visualize breast tumors.
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