Making headway with new technology.
Although digital mammography is fairly new, breast screening has been done for over 40 years. In recent years, women have become better informed about the importance of having regular mammogram screenings. The statistics show that approximately one woman out of every nine women will get breast cancer. Public outreach campaigns about breast cancer have driven home the necessity of undergoing this life saving screening. For women, breast cancer is now the second leading cause of cancer death. The good news is, with continuous research in technology and science, mammography techniques have greatly improved.
Identification
Mammography is an X-ray procedure that takes an image of breast tissue. It involves a low and safe dose of radiation. The test is performed by a qualified radiology team in a lab with technicians to perform the procedure. A mammogram is a non-invasive screening with the breasts being X-rayed on a small platform. The test though uncomfortable, is not painful, and can save lives by helping catch potential cancer in the early stages. It is recommended that all women 40 and over have yearly mammograms.
Detection of Breast Cancer from X-Rays
X-ray technology was developed in the late 1800s. In the early 1900s, a surgeon from Berlin, Germany by the name of Albert Salomon was the first to use X-ray to research and detect breast cancer. Salomon did this by X-raying breast tissue that was removed from patients, and studying the differences between healthy and non-healthy tissue. In his findings, Salomon also discovered that there were several types of breast cancer. He later published his findings in 1913, but never utilized the X-raying technique in his medical practice.
Early Mammography
W. Vogel, a German researcher did more extensive studies with x-rays detecting cancerous tumors, and provided the first guidelines in the 1920s, in detecting the differences in healthy and un-healthy breast tissue. Doctors today still use Vogel's guidelines. In the 1930s, an American physician by the name of Stafford L Warren was the first to diagnose breast cancer prior to surgery. In the 1950s, healthy women began having mammography screening thanks to Jacob Gershon-Cohen. Mammography was a common diagnostic tool by the 1960s.
The First Digital Mammography Machines
On January 28, 2000, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first digital mammography machine. General Electric (GE) is a major producer in the area of digital mammography. Several more models have been approved since January 2000, with the latest model approved by the FDA on February 11, 2009. Digital mammography, unlike the standard mammography using film to capture and display the images, takes an electrical image of breast tissue, and stores it on a computer. This allows radiologist and technicians to manipulate, enhance and magnify the images for better quality.
Digital Mammography's First Trail Run
The Diagnostic Mammographic Imaging Screening Trial (DMIST) first began in October 2001. Thirty-three different sites throughout the United States and Canada enrolled over 49,000 women for the trail. They chose women for the trail that had no signs of breast cancer, and did both digital and film testing of each individual. In addition, they used two radiologists who independently reviewed each examination. The diagnosis of breast cancer for individuals was determined within 10 months of the study by follow-up mammogram or within 15 months of the study through biopsy of breast tissue results.
Break Through with Digital Mammography
As one might expect, digital images deliver a much sharper image than traditional film with the ability to modify the image. The procedure is done exactly the same way as a film mammogram, but the images are saved digitally allowing doctors to view images instantly on their computers without having cumbersome films to deal with. For the patient, this means faster readings by radiologists and quicker results. Doctors in different parts of the country and around the world can consult with each other as they share results via electronic files. Best of all, in some cases digital images can show even smaller irregularities in breast tissue, which means early detection and a chance to attend to any abnormalities before they spread.
Tags: breast cancer, breast tissue, breast cancer, digital images, digital mammography, Digital Mammography, image breast
