Dear Women's Imaging Insider,
Clinicians are always looking for ways to improve screening mammography. One such possibility is mechanical imaging. Swedish researchers have found adding the technique to breast cancer screening with mammography could lower the number of false positives and recalls by a third. The researchers call the results "surprising."
What's not surprising is the breast cancer screening debate rages on. It's now spread to the Middle East, where the topic was addressed on the opening day of Arab Health 2017 as part of the Total Radiology conference. Specifically, Dr. Shaikha Abu Shaikha discussed Qatar's Breast and Bowel Screening Program.
Also, a team from the Nordic Cochrane Centre in Copenhagen has taken aim at screening mammography. The group claims breast screening doesn't reduce the incidence of advanced tumors, and that one-third of tumors detected actually represent overdiagnosis. Cochrane researchers for decades have been harsh critics of breast screening, which they believe mostly detects indolent cancers and ductal carcinoma in situ. Are they right? Express your viewpoint below the article in our Forums.
Along similar lines, Irish researchers advocate caution on screening women younger than 40. That is, women who have normal, benign, or undocumented examination findings, but women with a moderate or high familial risk of breast cancer, patients with a personal breast cancer history, or those referred for screening are another story.
In other news in your Women's Imaging Community, radiology can offer hope to women with fertility problems. Imaging is playing a growing role in both detecting the condition and helping to solve problems with noninvasive therapies. Read more.
Meanwhile, parents-to-be can now meet their unborn children using virtual reality and ultrasound. Helsinki-based Adventure Club has developed its own digital products and collaborates on other alternative IT and virtual reality. The company incorporates 4D ultrasound into virtual reality to create the experience.
Be sure to head on over to the Women's Imaging Community for more news, or scroll below this message. As always, I enjoy hearing from you, so contact me anytime.
