Eight seconds of comfortable breast cancer screening

Friday, 2 December 2011 11:58 AM

A scanner using mine-sweep technology can screen for breast cancer in less than eight seconds.

The MARIA (Multistatic Array processing for Radiowave Image Acquisition) system also promises to provide more reliable results in younger women who are overlooked for screening at present. It's pain-free and safer than traditional mammogram X-rays, which carry a radiation risk.

The technology, developed by scientists in Bristol, takes just eight seconds to provide a three-dimensional breast scan that provides results that are comparable with X-ray mammograms.

It was created by Micrima, a spin-out from Bristol University. Initial trials had a diagnostic success rate of around 80%, which makes the system a strong competitor to X-ray mammography in dense tissue. The team are now aiming for a success rate of over 90%.

Dr Mike Shere, breast specialist at Southmead Hospital said: "We are very excited about the potential of this completely new method of breast imaging. It has none of the disadvantages of the current methods, ultrasound, mammography and MRI. It is quick, safe, comfortable and cheap, and is already producing good images with high sensitivity."

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