Breast brachytherapy
Studies show promise for fast, 5-day therapy for early-stage breast cancer patients
Women's health
Breast screening in Belgium
Not so long ago this country, of considerable linguistic division, was a split into three regions, referred to as Flemish (with five provinces), Walloon (with five provinces) and the Brussels Capital. Each has its own parliament, with governments responsible for their individual region's affairs; these include health. Dr Catherine Breucq, head of the Breast Imaging Department at Brussels…
Womens Health in Pink
Arriving at the Austrian Congress Center in Vienna, a pink truck is striking the eyes of the visitors of ECR. The truck took the long way from Belgium to Austria to demonstrate a pretty successful project of the University Hospital Brussels: A mobile mammography unit that examines women living in rural areas and who otherwise would probably not join the screening programm. The trailer was…
The feasibility of breast MRI at 7 Tesla
Within the last three decades, contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance breast imaging has gone through substantial developments, evolving to become the imaging modality with the highest sensitivity for breast cancer detection. The indication to perform breast MRI ranges widely, including high-risk patients, dense breast tissue and therapy monitoring under primary systemic therapy.
Breast Diagnostics
The diagnostic use of ultrasound has improved significantly because of improved resolution and reduction in artifacts, allowing increasingly more specific examination.
Breast screening in the Netherlands
The Dutch screening programme, which began in 1990, invites women aged 50-75 years for mammography screening every two years. Today, the national programme is undergoing considerable regional re-organisation. As one of a team of 12 radiologists at the Alkmaar Medical Centre, Dr Shirley Go is responsible for Mammography and Screening in a large Dutch region. Daniela Zimmermann, asked Dr Go about…
Breast cancers vary in complexity
Dr Giorgio Rizzatto, who heads the Department of Diagnostic Imaging at ASS 2 Isontina (including the Gorizia and Monfalcone hospitals) in NE Italy, works with nine radiologists, who examine and report on 80,000 clinical and screening breast examinations annually.
EAU hot topic: Imaging in urological oncology today
Big discussions are expected at the upcoming European Association of Urology (EAU) Congress in Stockholm* when urologist Dr Jochen Walz (right), of the Urological Department at the Institute Paoli-Calmettes, Marseilles, France, presents the forum: Imaging in Europe: Who, where, what, how many! and M F Coelho, of the European Society of Urological Imaging (ESUI) describes the Clinical utility of…
New MRI breast scanner from Siemens
Siemens Healthcare recently presented its first MRI breast scanner, Magnetom Espree-Pink. The 1.5-Tesla system is the latest innovation in magnetic resonance imaging, featuring a dedicated solution for breast examinations. Particularly for obese and claustrophobic patients, the large, 70-centimeter magnet bore makes examinations more comfortable, or, in some cases, it makes them possible for the…
Carestream Health installs 2000th CR System
Carestream Health installed its two thousandth high-resolution CR system for mammography at the Rechts der Isar Clinic in Munich, Germany. The company's CR Mammography Feature which enables mammography images to be captured digitally while utilizing a healthcare provider's existing mammography x-ray unit and workflow processes is intended for use in the same clinical and screening applications…
Finding hard-to-detect breast cancer
Breast-specific gamma imaging (BSGI) is effective in the detection of cancers not found on mammograms or by clinical exam, according to a study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).
Breast Care Solutions: Acuson S2000 Automated Breast Volume Scanner
The Acuson S2000 Automated Breast Volume Scanner (ABVS) system automatically and quickly acquires full-field sonographic volumes for comprehensive review and diagnosis of the breast streamlining workflow and reducing operator dependence and variability.
The whole diversity of breast cancer diagnostics
'Diagnostics is not diagnostics, not even when it relates to a specific indication such as breast cancer,' says Professor Walter Heindel MD (right), who heads the Munster Mammography and Breast Centre Reference Centre at Munster University Hospital, focusing on the dissimilarities among patient groups and their peculiarities.
Siemens opens Cologne research centre
Siemens Healthcare has opened a new research centre in Cologne, where around 40 employees are developing new diagnostic tests to describe the molecular characteristics of breast cancer cells, to help physicians to select individual therapy.
Elastosonography and the detection of breast carcinomas
Professor Friedrich Degenhardt (right), Head of the Gynaecology Clinic at Franziskus Hospital, Bielefeld and the Cooperative Breast Centre Bielefeld-Herford, Germany, is using elastosonography to examine breast carcinomas. We asked him to outline present finding as to its value, future potential, and the current value of ultrasound in breast cancer detection.
The German Society for Senology 28th Annual Conference
In a pre-conference discussion with this year's President, Professor Hans-Heinrich Kreipe, Director of the Institute for Pathology at Hanover Medical School, he outlined the significance of MRI in breast cancer detection, and highlighted other topics for the event.
Elastoscan in mammary sonography
If, in the early days of mammary sonography, it was revealed to be helpful to render tactual findings in a visible manner (sonic palpation), then now is the time to palpate clinically occult findings in a new manner (Elastoscan*).
European researchers awarded for viral discoveries
German scientist Harald zur Hausen showed that oncogenic human papilloma virus (HPV) cause cervical cancer, the second most common cancer among women. Françoise Barré-Sinoussi and Luc Montagnier from France discovered HIV.
Better images for X-ray mammography with new tool
Fighting breast cancer is always a race against time - early detection of breast carcinoma an essential condition for cure. Now Scientists from Finland, Germany and France developed a promising new CT technique with high resolution and contrast that visualises tumours that are even diffusely growing or those in dense breasts.
Breast cancer: new method is more effective than mammography in women with dense breasts
“Molecular breast imaging” (MBI), a new scintigraphy method developed by US researchers, might improve early detection of breast cancer in women with dense breasts. The results of an initial clinical study were recently presented at the Breast Cancer Symposium of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Washington, DC, USA.
Every or every second year doesn't make a difference
Researchers compared the Norwegian organised population based mammogram screening every second year and a physician- or self-referrals annual test in the US. Both are equally sensitive, but the recall rate for abnormal results was lower in Norway.
What hips tell about breast cancer
As rocks keep the secrets of the earth, bones might keep those of the body. A new study that will be publish in the September 1, 2008 issue of CANCER suggests, that factors responsible for higher bone mineral density might also lead to higher risk of breast cancer.
New proton therapy software tool
Proton therapy is very sophisticated way of destroying tumours. Now the Swedish Medical company RaySearch Laboratories has signed a consulting agreement with Uppsala University Hospital in Sweden to develop a treatment-planning system.
A new imaging tool?
Mammography is the common way to detect breast cancer. But it's not perfect: it struggles to image dense glandular tissue or early-stage tumours. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) offers best sensivity but it is expensiv and not always specific enough. Now researchers have come up with another option: a scanner that integrates thermoacoustic and photoacoustic tomography to achieve dual-contrast…
Pregnant Jessica
Wales - Jessica Tate is pregnant. Hers is a normal pregnancy. There is, however, some concern because she wants her baby to be born at home, but is often alone there because her partner must travel for his work. Mid-term, she is tired and has mild anaemia. At one stage in her pregnancy she also falsely believes labour has started and is worried. However, all should go well. She benefits from…