Mammography News and Research

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A mammogram is a safe test used to look for any problems with a woman's breasts. The test uses a special, low-dose x-ray machine to take pictures of both breasts. The results are recorded on x-ray film or directly onto a computer for a radiologist to examine.

Mammograms allow the doctor to have a closer look for breast lumps and changes in breast tissue. They can show small lumps or growths that a doctor or woman may not be able to feel when doing a clinical breast exam. "Mammography" is the best screening tool that doctors have for finding breast cancer.

If a lump is found, your doctor may order other tests, such as ultrasound or a biopsy--a test where a small amount of tissue is taken from the lump and area around the lump. The tissue is sent to a lab to look for cancer or changes that may mean cancer is likely to develop. Breast lumps or growths can be benign (not cancer) or malignant (cancer). Finding breast cancer early means that a woman has a better chance of surviving the disease. There are also more choices for treatment when breast cancer is found early.

Majority of women at higher risk for breast cancer decline MRI screenings, study finds

Some women, because of genetic predisposition, personal, or family history, have a higher than average lifetime risk of developing breast cancer. For those women, earlier magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is recommended for cancer screening.

26 Oct 2017

New blood test can reliably detect breast cancer in women with dense and non-dense breast tissue

A new study published in PLOS ONE demonstrates that Videssa® Breast, a multi-protein biomarker blood test for breast cancer, is unaffected by breast density and can reliably rule out breast cancer in women with both dense and non-dense breast tissue. Nearly half of all women in the U.S. have dense breast tissue.

25 Oct 2017

New genetic variants contribute to the risk of breast cancer in women, study reveals

A new study reveals seventy-two novel genetic variants that are responsible for breast cancer risk. Published in the journals Nature and Nature Genetics, of these 72 variants, 65 are common variants that predispose patients to breast cancer and a further seven variants predispose particularly to estrogen -receptor negative breast cancer - the subcategory of cases that do not respond to hormonal treatments.

24 Oct 2017

Rush uses SAVI SCOUT technology to enhance breast surgery for women

Women who need breast surgery to remove an abnormality that cannot be felt, also known as a non-palpable breast lesion, now may benefit from the convenience and comfort provided by an advanced new tissue locating technology offered at Rush University Medical Center.

24 Oct 2017

ACS recognizes contributions of five surgeons with Surgical Humanitarian and Volunteerism Awards

Last night, five surgeons received the 2017 American College of Surgeons/Pfizer Surgical Humanitarian Awards and Surgical Volunteerism Awards in recognition of their selfless efforts as volunteer surgeons who provide care to medically underserved patients abroad.

23 Oct 2017

Scientists develop revolutionary blood screening test to diagnose breast cancer

In a potential major breakthrough in breast cancer research, scientists at the Center for Translational Cancer Research at the Helen F. Graham Cancer Center & Research Institute of Christiana Care Health System have developed a revolutionary new blood test to diagnose breast cancer.

16 Oct 2017

New genomics study aims to evaluate effectiveness of blood test in detecting breast cancer

Cancer researchers at Intermountain Medical Center and the Intermountain Precision Genomics Program in Salt Lake City are launching an exciting, new three-year study to determine if a blood test that looks for DNA from a cancer tumor can be used to complement mammography to improve the way breast cancer is diagnosed.

11 Oct 2017

Most American women not aware of breast cancer overdiagnosis and overtreatment

Did you know that routine mammograms can lead to overdiagnosis and overtreatment of breast cancer? Most American women aren't aware of these risks of breast cancer screening, reports a study in the October issue of Medical Care, published by Wolters Kluwer.

14 Sep 2017

Combined DNA and protein 'liquid biopsy' more accurate in identifying early-stage pancreatic cancer

Johns Hopkins scientists say they have developed a blood test that spots tumor-specific DNA and protein biomarkers for early-stage pancreatic cancer.

4 Sep 2017

Measuring breast density

Women start off with breasts that are predominately full of milk-producing glandular tissue (“dense tissue”). That tissue slowly changes to fat as the woman ages with an acceleration in that change over menopause.

4 Sep 2017

FDA grants clearance for first 2D digital mammography system with patient-assisted compression

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration cleared the first 2D digital mammography system that allows patients to increase or decrease the amount of compression applied to their own breast before the mammogram x-ray is taken.

1 Sep 2017

Study may provide valuable guidance to women about choosing mammography screening

When to initiate screening for breast cancer, how often to screen, and how long to screen are questions that continue to spark emotional debates.

21 Aug 2017

Study: Addition of MRI to mammography improves cancer detection after breast conservation therapy

A new article published by JAMA Oncology compares outcomes for combined mammography and MRI or ultrasonography screenings for new breast cancers in women who have previously undergone breast conservation surgery and radiotherapy for breast cancer initially diagnosed at 50 or younger.

22 Jun 2017

Adherence to NCCN Guidelines spares breast cancer patients from unnecessary tests

According to SEER data, more than 260,000 women were diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States in 2016, most of whom were diagnosed with early-stage (stage I or II) disease.

21 Jun 2017

New laser imaging 'bowl' could reduce stages involved in spotting breast cancer

In a bid to make the world's first while-you-wait test for breast cancer, European scientists are developing a comfortable hemispherical bowl lined with laser sources and ultrasound detectors with the potential to reduce the stages in spotting the disease into a single appointment.

20 Jun 2017

Asian women less likely to receive appropriate follow-up after abnormal mammogram, study finds

Women with an abnormal mammogram result need follow-up tests to check whether the finding indicates breast cancer, which should be treated at the earliest possible stage.

12 Jun 2017

Mammography: Early breast cancer detection could lead to overdiagnosis

An analysis of breast cancer data revealed that many small breast cancers have an excellent prognosis because they are inherently slow growing, according to Yale Cancer Center experts.

8 Jun 2017

Yale researchers find racial and ethnic disparities in use of genetic test for breast cancer

A genetic test that helps doctors determine how best to treat breast cancer - and whether chemotherapy is likely to help- is significantly more likely to be administered to white women than blacks or Hispanics, a Yale study has found.

1 Jun 2017

Open-access BRCA testing for inherited breast cancer enables identification of missed carriers

Ashkenazi Jewish women are known to have a predisposition to the inherited breast cancers BRCA1 and BRCA2, but currently genetic testing in this group is limited to women affected by breast and ovarian cancers and those who are unaffected but have a family history of the disease.

27 May 2017

Norwegian study shows huge potential of Sigmascreening’s pressure based paddle for women’s health

Sigmascreening, a Dutch MedTech developer and world leader in the field of pressure based digital mammography and breast cancer screening, announces that a large independent Norwegian study further confirms Sigma’s hypothesis that pressure has a clear relation with the most optimal results in mammography.

26 May 2017