Ultrasound; Adjunct Screening for Breast Cancer

Breast cancer accounts for more than 18% of cancer deaths worldwide, not only for females but also for males. Breast cancer may start to develop from the cells of the ducts and may become a ductal carcinoma or if develops in the lobules of the breast it is called as a lobular carcinoma. It may soon become a malignant tumor that may possibly spread to other parts of the body.

As posted in the Medical News Today, symptoms of breast cancer must be watched out for includes skin dimpling, lump in the breast, change in skin color or texture and if there is a fluid leak in the nipple. Before these symptoms are noticed, it is better if a woman will have a breast screening examination. Physical examination, history taking, laboratory test, imaging procedures and genetic tests are some of the breast screening procedures your doctor might offer you.

Now, in diagnosing breast cancer, doctors are torn between the accuracy of a mammogram and ultrasound. A mammogram is a procedure where the X-ray of the breast is taken while ultrasound uses high-frequency sound waves into your breast and converts the waves into images that are viewed on screen. 

A study by Dr. Constance Lehman compared ultrasonography and mammogram in detecting breast cancer among women ages 30 to 39. The result showed that ultrasound detected 95.7% of the women having cancer and mammogram only detected 60.9%, as posted in Fred Hutch.

Ultrasound is not just used on its own, instead, it used conjunctively with other tests to find out more about the abnormality seen other test. Ultrasonography is the one of the best non-invasive ways to discover the characteristic of a tumor identified. It may be fluid filled or pure solid. Though ultrasound cannot distinguish benign tumor from malignant one, it is also used as an aid when performing a needle biopsy.