British scientists are reporting progress in developing a new, potentially more reliable breast cancer screening technique using ultrasound.
The research team – involving scientists at the National Physical Laboratory, the National Measurement Institute, and the University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust -- is now looking to develop the technique into a clinical device that could be more widely used.
Current breast cancer screening methods are based on X-ray mammography, which can be unreliable, particularly in younger women. Mammograms frequently lead to costly biopsies and also pose a radiation risk.
While ultrasound is cheaper, safer and extensively used in other medical procedures, it does not produce high-quality images than are useful for reliable diagnoses, experts noted.
But the new method seeks to improve the quality of those images through a series of technological refinements.
“The technique, when used in a Computed Tomography (CT) configuration, should produce more accurate images of tissue properties and so provide better identification of breast tissue abnormalities,” researchers said. “The aim of tomography is to produce a cross-section map of the tissue [making it] possible to identify abnormal inclusions. “
Dr. Bajram Zeqiri, who leads the project at the National Physical Laboratory, said the team’s “Initial results are very promising. Whilst it's early days, we're very excited about its potential and with the right funding, support and industry partners, we may well have something here which could have a huge and positive impact on cancer diagnosis and the lives of many thousands of women."