For the most part, the effort to find new ways to battle cancer has been one of occasional small victories and many dead ends. But it has long been known that the sooner cancer can be detected, the better chance doctors have of beating it.
Last week, it was announced that a new method of detecting breast cancer has shown real promise in its first large-scale test. The experimental method -- molecular breast imaging, or MBI -- uses a radioactive tracer that "lights up" cancer hiding inside dense breast tissue.
Researchers tried both MBI and the common mammogram on 940 women who had dense breasts and a high risk of cancer because of family history, bad genes or other reasons. Thirteen tumors were found in 12 women.
MBI found 10 out of 13 tumors, missing three. Mammograms detected three out of the 13 tumors and missed 10. Using both methods, 11 out of 13 tumors would have been detected. MBI tests also produced fewer false alarms than mammograms.
Researchers say that MBIs won't replace mammograms for women at average risk of cancer. But the test might become standard for the estimated 25 percent of women who have a lot of dense tissue that makes tumors hard to spot on mammograms.
Significantly, MBIs also are less costly than an MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, which often is more effective in detecting cancers than a mammogram.
An MBI test is not the silver bullet that will vanquish breast cancer. But if further research pans out, it could be another useful tool for doctors, one that could give women a better chance of detecting cancer early and eradicating it.
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New test might be more effective in detecting tumors in breasts with dense tissue. |
