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3-D Ultrasound Helps Detect
Cancer
New technology may allow doctors to determine whether a
mass is cancerous before a biopsy comes back with the result. This could save the patient
weeks of worry. It may also provide a way to detect tumors long before a mammogram or
breast self-exam could.
Researchers at the University of Michigan Health System
developed the technique called 3-D color Doppler ultrasound. It uses sound waves and
sophisticated computerized equipment to allow doctors to see how quickly blood is moving
in the vessels around a suspicious area and to see that area in three dimensions. Since
cancer cells grow rapidly and need extra blood in order to spread, the technique can
distinguish between cancerous tumors and benign masses. It can also pick up signals of
increased blood flow and formation of new blood vessels in a cancerous area faster than
any other imaging method can.
In a study of 38 women, 20 of whom had malignancies
confirmed by biopsy, they were able to tell the difference between tumors and benign
masses 100 per cent of the time with 3-D color Doppler ultrasound imaging. They also
reported success in tracking the changes in tumor blood flow over the course of
pre-surgery chemotherapy in five breast cancer patients.
"While we do not expect ultrasound to replace either
mammography or biopsy, we see great potential for complementary use to benefit
patients," says Paul Carson, Ph.D., a radiologist at the University of Michigan. Now
the researchers are analyzing results from another 40 patients.
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