Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed in a study presented at the 2007 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology to be better at detecting ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) than mammograms. MRI's were also shown to be very good at detecting high grade DCIS.

Women are recommended by the American Cancer Society to get an annual mammogram after the age of 40, do clinical breast exams starting in your 20's and if you are in a high risk group to receive annual screening with a breast MRI.

In a study among almost 6,000 women who were screened with both MRI and mammography, MRI detected 92 percent of DCIS cases where mammography only detected 56 percent of cases diagnosed.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded Techniscan Medical Systems (TMS), a Utah-based company that has developed an ultrasound imaging system known as UltraSound CTTM, a $2.8 million dollar small business grant to go forward with a radiation-free, non-invasive, breast cancer screening device that does not compress the breast during examination.

How does it work? While a woman is lying face down, the breast is suspended in warm water and an ultrasound scanner rotates in a circle, producing detailed 3-D images. According to the company, the diagnostic imaging tool will be able to detect normal, benign and malignant tissues in the breast.

To learn more about the UltraSound CTTM, visit the TMS website.

The ultrasound technique called elasticity imaging might be able to reduce the amount breast biopsies given to patients. It works almost like a regular ultrasound examination of the breast except it is much more sensitive. The technique gauges how much tissue moves when pushed to detect how soft or stiff the mass is in the breast.

The study that was done showed that all 17 of the imaging studies thought to be malignant were found to be malignant after a biopsy was done. It also identified 105 out of the 106 benign lumps in the breast. From this study it suggests that elasticity imaging is 100 percent sensitive and 99 percent specific.

This could turn out be another useful tool used along with mammography and breast MRI's to detect a cancerous lesion in the breast. I, however, will always want a lump biopsied since I know that is the only way to know 100 percent whether it is malignant or benign.

(Thanks to Patti Anastasi for the tip)

If we made no further progress in breast cancer research from this day on, the number of women dying from breast cancer five years from now would still drop substantially because we've progressed so much over the past few years, says MD Eric Winer in the October 2006 issue of Oprah magazine. Winer, director of the Breast Oncology Center at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, is right. There has been a lot of progress. Breast cancer research is on a roll. And here are seven reasons why.

There is no major test or screening tool or exam that reveals the definite presence of cancer in the body. There are mammograms that can detect suspicious masses in the breast and there is a blood test that might raise concerns about the health of ovaries and there are various x-rays and scans that allow doctors to peek into the intricacies of the human body -- and some tests, like the mammogram clearly do save lives -- but some tests that seem harmless can damage the psyche while accomplishing little else.

I asked my oncologist how he would know if my breast cancer returns. He said I will receive regular mammograms and ultrasounds of my breasts. And he will perform in-office exams every few months. He will complete a breast exam and will feel my neck for enlarged lymph nodes. He will listen to my lungs and feel my stomach. But largely, he will rely on me to report symptoms and signs and complaints -- because these are the true indicators that something is amiss.

I imagined myself getting a whole host of tests on my whole body to rule out that cancer is invading every part of me. But this won't happen without reason -- because some tools, like imaging tests, may detect noncancerous abnormalities and false positives that lead to unnecessary psychological stress and tests -- and sometimes even surgery. So if I develop a persistent cough that can't be controlled, perhaps my oncologist will order a chest x-ray. If headaches begin to plague me and relief is not in sight, then perhaps a scan of my head will be in order. But as long as I feel well, the assumption is that I am well. It's better for my soul this way -- to live life without the constant worry that cancer will return. And it's a whole lot more cost effective too.