Mammograms are an important way to detect possible breast cancers.
But they are not always as effective.
This is due to the different density in women's breasts.
The breasts are made up of different types of tissue, including fat.
If a breast has a lot of fibrous or glandular tissue without much fat, this means that it has more density. A dense breast limits the accuracy of mammography, since cancers can hide in the tissue.
It is for this reason that the medical technology company Delphinus has developed a new detection system called SoftVue to better detect cancer in women with dense breasts.
This system is now being tested in different centers in the United States.
Breast cancer is more difficult to detect in women with dense breasts.
“In United States more than 40% of women He has dense breasts, “explains Delphinus President and CEO Mark Forchette to BBC Mundo.
“The problem is that when a woman has dense breasts mammograms they can not detect cancer in 50% of cases “, Explain.
This is because both tumors and dense tissue look white on a mammogram.
How does it work?
The SoftVue system is much less invasive than a normal mammogram.
In a mammogram, the patient's breasts are compressed between two plates while an x-ray is taken.
However, SoftVue is performed by ultrasound, so the patient rests on her stomach with a breast submerged in warm water.
The SoftVue machine emits sound waves that surround 360 degrees around the breast to create three-dimensional images that allow easier detection of anomalies.
“We have tested this technology on thousands of patients and they all say it is the most comfortable exam they have ever had,” says Forchette.
Where is it available?
Researchers have enrolled 10,000 patients for this study in eight centers in the United States.
The idea is to compare the results of patient mammography with SoftVue scans after this trial period to determine the effectiveness of the machine.
“SoftVue is not intended to replace mammograms,” explains the company's president Delphinus.
“Our goal is to use this technology as complement to be able to detect cancer more effectively in women with dense breasts. “
Breast cancer is one of the most common types of cancer among women: According to data from the World Health Organization from 2018 to 16% of the female population suffers.
According to data from the Pan American Health Organization, this type of cancer is the second most prevalent among women who die from the disease in America.
So even though mammograms are essential to detect it, every woman can follow some guidelines to recognize anomalys