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Research

ultrasound machine by CapeRay

Handheld breast ultrasound is a common technique used in breast cancer diagnosis.

An ultrasound machine is a device in which sound waves 100 to 1000 times higher in frequency than those detectable by humans are used to generate images of deep tissues. Breast ultrasound has been applied in breast cancer diagnosis for over half a century.

Recent research in the USA has shown that in dense breasts, the sensitivity (percentage of true positives) increases from 50% to 78% when hand-held breast ultrasound is added as an adjunct to digital mammography in breast screening (Berg et al., 2008). In a recent European study, it was reported that, independent of breast density, the use of an ultrasound machine in addition to an X-ray machine yielded the detection of an extra 13% breast cancers (Schaefer et al., 2010).

One of the drawbacks of using hand-held ultrasound machines is that the quality and repeatability of the images are highly dependent on the skill of the operator (see accompanying image of a hand-held probe). A promising technique that eliminates operator dependency is known as automated breast ultrasound and it produces 3D images that have great potential in breast screening. A recent report suggests that automated breast ultrasound plus digital mammography can double the detection rate in breast cancer diagnosis (Kelly et al., 2010).

References

  1. Berg WA, Blume JD, Cormack JB, Mendelson EB, Lehrer D, Böhm-Vélez M, Pisana ED, Jong RA, Evans WP, Morton MJ, Mahoney MC, Larsen LH, Barr RG, Farria DM, Marques HS, Boparai K for the ACRIN6666 Investigators (2008). Combined screening with ultrasound and mammography vs mammography alone in women at elevated risk of breast cancer. Journal of the American Medical Association. 299(18): 2151-2163.
  2. Schaefer FKW, Waldmann A, Katalinic A, Wefelnberg C, Heller M, Jonat W and Schreer I (2010). Influence of additional breast ultrasound on cancer detection in a cohort study for quality assurance in breast diagnosis - analysis of 102,577 diagnostic procedures. European Radiology. 20(5): 1085-1092.
  3. Kelly KM, Dean J, Lee SJ and Comulada WS (2010). Breast cancer detection using automated whole breast ultrasound and mammography in radiographically dense breasts. European Radiology. 20(5): 2557-2564.