Moving Beyond the Mammogram

A device under development by researchers uses light and ultrasound to more accurately screen patients for breast cancer.

A new, portable breast-imaging system in development at the University at Buffalo has the potential to better detect breast cancer in patients with dense breast tissue — a population that includes nearly half of women.

Called a dual scan mammoscope, or DSM, the innovative device combines light and ultrasound technology to improve upon the traditional mammogram, which is currently the most widely used test to detect breast tumors early.

A need for more accurate imaging

Patients with more glandular and connective tissue are at twice the risk of developing breast cancer compared to patients with mostly fatty breast tissue. But the accuracy rates of traditional mammograms for these patients are as low as 62%, says UB researcher Jun Xia, the study’s lead investigator.

“The goal of this project is to address the unmet clinical need in breast cancer screening for women with high breast density,” says Xia, who speaks from personal experience, having watched relatives suffer from breast cancer in their 40s. “The treatment and recovery were hard,” he says. “Detecting the cancer at early stages would significantly improve the survival rate and healing time.”

The new device utilizes both ultrasonic and photoacoustic imaging, using a laser to illuminate breast tissue, which, in turn, generates acoustic waves that are measured by ultrasound technology. The DSM is radiation-free and requires only mild compression of the breast, likely reducing the pain that patients often experience during traditional mammograms.

Grant will accelerate development

Supported by a $1.4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, the researchers are working to advance the technology to achieve better breast coverage, enhance ultrasound capability and improve the screening of tissues closer to the chest wall. They will also develop an algorithm to display 3D images that can be more easily read by radiologists.

Additionally, in collaboration with Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center and Windsong Radiology Group, they are recruiting nearly 180 breast cancer patients in order to investigate the photoacoustic and ultrasonic characteristics of breast cancer and, ultimately, improve the images produced by the new device.