Technology for Imaging of Breast Cancer

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Since the day the first scientific discovery, the wheel was made; mankind has been continuously inventing and developing various technologies. The 20th century is known for drastic advancement in every field especially science and technology. In medical sciences, noteworthy innovations have been made. Breast cancer is an alarmingly serious disease found among women and is of serious concern for medical specialists for many years. During last few decades, a number of imaging technologies have been introduced that help physicians in diagnosis and treatment of this fatal ailment. The well-known technologies used for imaging of breast cancer are explained in this paper. Thermography Thermography or thermal imaging was initially used for monitoring movement of troops during war. During 1950s, Raymond Lawson, a surgeon, proposed to make use of this technology for the detection of heat produced by cancerous breast tumors. “. In 1959, the first medical thermogram to investigate breast cancer was taken; in 1982, thermography was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as an adjunctive screening procedure, meant to supplement mammography and other traditional tests for the disease”. (Thermography and Breast Health) In this method, special infrared cameras are used for taking photos of breast and other soft tissues. It is also used to measure the temperature of skin surface and deep inside up to 6 mm. Thermography is able to detect heat produced through metabolic processes in case of any suspected growth or tumors much before it actually appears and could be detected by x-rays. In case a cancerous growth starts developing, it builds up a separate blood supply in order to meet the increased growth process known as malignant angioge...

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... of these may cause damage to body cells. Research is also going on to check such tendencies and take measures to minimize these negative effects. References Diagnostic Breast Imaging Procedures: Positron Emission Tomography (PET), http://www.hersource.com/breast/11/c1.cfm Mammograms and Other Breast Imaging Procedures, http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_6X_Mammography_and_other_Breast_Imaging_Procedures_5.asp?sitearea=CRI Medical Imaging for Breast Cancer–Scintimammography, http://www.jlab.org/exp_prog/techtransfer/Medical_Imaging.pdf MRI: A Leap Forward in Breast Cancer Imaging, http://www.healthsystem.virginia.edu/internet/clinical-minutes/cm_mri.cfm The Latest Advances in Breast Imaging Technology, http://imaginis.com/breasthealth/news/news12.01.00.asp Thermography and Breast Health, http://www.healthandlongevity.org/breastcancerscreening.htm

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