Breast Cancer is one of the most aggressive forms of cancer there is. Several millions of people are at risk of contracting the disease or might even have the disease. However, the key is early detection and the medical field could have some pleasant news for them. Recently, a new M.R.I. has been accredited to have detected breast cancer earlier than its counterparts. Known as Fast M.R.I., it was developed in Intermountain Health’s breast care center in Murray. It has already produced results that make it exciting for the future.
How Breast Cancer Screening Technology Advances Enable Early Diagnosis?
The machine was able to detect a lump in the breasts of one of the health managers in their hospitals, Linda Campbell. Talking about the experience, she said, “I never thought it would be me. It was kind of ironic and surreal. It was more like I was donating to science; I was doing my part to build the protocol. Five or six months later, I’m back in the same scanner but as a real patient.”One can empathize with her reaction because she was modeling for the machine when it became a lifesaver for her.
The hospital had prepared a video and Ms. Campbell was to attend the demo when the machine caught a lump in her. While she did go for a mammogram later, it didn’t show any anomaly. But trusting the scanner her cancerous cells were removed using lumpectomy. Neither did she undergo mastectomy nor vigorous bouts of chemotherapy which is not easy to deal with.
According to the oncologists, it is always about diagnosis when it comes to Cancer. In 2023 alone over 50, 000 people(male and female) have lost their lives due to late detection in the U.S. Therefore it is classified as one of the 5 leading causes of death in females. What makes a person at risk for breast cancer is still vague. However, it has been found that one female with a history of cancer in her family is sure to have a gene mutation in them.
Additionally, drinking, smoking, and obesity can all be connected to one developing breast cancer at a later period. In this case, Campbell too was able to make the cut as she had the gene mutation in her family. Women with a family history are advised to take mammograms regularly to choose the best course of action for them.
Campbell was also found to have “denser breast tissues” which usually obstruct the view in a traditional mammogram. Her doctor says, “On her breast MRI we did see an abnormality in her breast that did not show up on her mammogram.”
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The current treatment options available for breast cancer include aggressive sessions of chemotherapy, immunotherapy, or mastectomy which means the patient would lose the breasts. However, this didn’t happen with Campbell and she admits, “Because my margins were small, they were able to remove it without too much disfigurement, I can’t emphasize enough how important early detection is.” Coincidentally, October turns out to be the breast Cancer awareness month which multiplies the significance of this discovery.
The Intermountain Medical Centre has also organized free mammograms on Saturdays and extended the services to McKay-Dee Hospital in Ogden, American Fork Hospital, and Park City Hospital. What makes it even more attractive is that it just takes 10 minutes and gives an accurate answer that could be life-saving in every way. Those who often restrict themselves due to cost can depend on the FAST MRI as it is considerably low when compared to traditional mammograms. Though mammograms are considered to be the best detectors when it comes to breast cancer, FAST MRI may change the game for good.
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