3D Breast Scan helps detect cancer
Bea Karnes
A 3D scan that will help with early detection of breast cancer has been developed. The machine is at the University of Texas-Southwestern in Dallas, and is making the detection of breast cancer easier, and doctors say potentially earlier.
"I have very dense breasts, very fibrous. There's a lot of stuff there that interferes with the analysis of the mammogram," patient Nancy Oppenheimer-Marks said.
Nancy Oppenheimer-Marks has a personal connection to breast cancer. "My sister was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1999 and is cancer free now," Oppenheimer-Marks said. Because of that, she's on top of detecting it.
The 3D ultrasound detected this cyst, which doctors concluded was not cancerous. A mammogram may have not have delivered that news with certainty. "They can move it around, they can analyze it in so many ways. It's phenomenal," Oppenheimer-Marks said. Doctors are careful to emphasize that the technology doesn't take the place of the mammogram but it supplements the screening.
Nancy said she's grateful for the advancements and is hoping one day for a cure. "Not only do we have the tools for the detection but, if you detect early enough, you can treat this. Don't die from breast cancer," Oppenheimer-Marks said.
