subject: Gamma Cameras Are Crucial In The Fight Against Breast Cancer [print this page] The nuclear age has produced more than war driven advancements. Many think nuclear and they think of bombs or perhaps the famous Cher noble nuclear meltdown in Pennsylvania. However, did you know that it has been used in many advancements of the medical industry?
Perhaps most recently, the advancement of the gamma camera, which works do to nuclear science, has been advanced to the point of being able to help detect breast cancer at a much earlier stage in life. This is a huge step in the fight against breast cancer. One of the major contributors to a successful fight against cancer of any type is early detection.
In the past, the MRI machine has been able to detect breast cancer at a much earlier stage. However, while it remains the device that can detect it the soonest in its growth, it has not become a popular method among doctors or patients because of the cost associated with it.
The gamma camera, small enough to remain in the doctor's office, is a lot more economical and convenient. It is nearly as good as the MRI machine in the early detection of breast cancer, making it the major advancement recently in early breast cancer detection.
There are many women that have been very grateful for this machine. The machine that is most typically used for examination of the breast, the mammography machine, is not able to detect the cancer at the incredibly small size that a gamma camera can and it is uncomfortable.
This is particularly true for those younger with denser breast. The mammogram is typically associated with a lot of pressure and discomfort. This machine must put a lot of pressure on the breast in order to get the pictures needed throughout the entire dense breast.
One of the things that women may want to consider at this point in time, if they are at the age that they should be getting regular checks of the breast for cancer, is to ask their doctor if they use a gamma camera or a mammography machine to perform the check. If their doctor uses the mammography machine still, they may want to consider getting a different doctor, at least for checking their breast for cancer. This is not a matter of comfort, though that is a benefit. It is a matter of being smart and detecting problems much sooner, giving them a better chance of survival if they do have breast cancer.
by: Art Gib
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