Breast cancer is constantly increasing even among young women, but it is increasingly curable thanks to improved therapies and greater sensitivity to the issue of early diagnosis. Prevention, new diagnostic and therapeutic techniques and an increasingly multidisciplinary approach are the weapons we have in the fight against this cancer.
Dr. Mariagiorgia Farina, specialist in diagnostic radiology at Humanitas, spoke about early diagnosis, with particular reference to three-dimensional mammography, during Mamazone 2017, the seventh edition of “Paziente Diplomata”, a day dedicated to women with and without breast cancer, organized by Humanitas last October 14.
Mammography and mortality reduction
“The prevention of breast cancer aims to detect non-palpable lesions smaller than a centimeter, which have not yet attacked the lymph nodes and in the absence of distant spread, or metastases.
In this sense, mammography is a very important examination for the recognition of non-palpable lesions. It is indicated for women over 40 years of age: various studies confirm that in patients who undergo mammography between 40 and 74 years of age, there has been a 30% reduction in mortality. The greatest benefits in terms of reducing mortality by 34% have been in a group of patients between 50 and 74 years of age. Finally, in women between the ages of 40 and 49, the reduction in mortality was 13%. Although mammography has some limitations, it remains the preferred examination because, to date, no other examination has been effective in reducing mortality,” explained Dr. Farina.
Three-dimensional mammography or tomosynthesis
“Mammography with tomosynthesis is a cutting-edge digital technology that allows images to be captured from different angles, using dedicated equipment, reconstructed using reworking software, and then visualized in 3D. The digital mammography device is configured to be more adaptable to women’s needs, thanks to sensors that dose compression according to the density and thickness of the breast, making the examination less annoying.
Mammography with tomosynthesis, while providing the same dose of radiation as standard mammography, ensures a better diagnostic result: in fact, it stratifies the breast, allowing you to study the third dimension and namely depth. This examination gives us greater diagnostic accuracy by detecting lesions that are less noticeable with conventional mammography and can remain hidden under the glandular tissue. It enables 30% more cancers to be detected at an early stage,” the specialist continued.
Watch Dr. Farina’s full intervention, click here
