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4 Responses to “Outline how X-rays DETECT cancers of the breast?”

1. Sandy K Says:
   February 7th, 2010 at 7:21 am

   It picks up the Image of a cyst ,or something that isn’t normal around the area that the x-ray scans, it also shows white markings that tell the Dr. that something is abnormal.

2. r2222 Says:
   February 7th, 2010 at 7:21 am

   Cancer tumor (basically any tumor) has a different density ,
   the X ray get absorbed \ blocked by the density of the tumor .
   The image that you will see is will be either whiter as a single layer or combined with darker spots in 3d scans .

   i hope this answer your question.

   good luck

3. Dave Says:
   February 7th, 2010 at 7:21 am

   The above answerer’s are right, initially my wife detected a lump, x-rays were ordered and there was a white area that should not have been there and it was determined to be a tumor. Further tests were done to confirm the suspicions.

   Often times if you are young the breast has density and they are unable to detect a tumor, that is when other tests are done like an MRI.

4. stinky Says:
   February 7th, 2010 at 7:21 am

   Imaging studies like X-rays (mammograms), ultrasounds, PET/CTs, and MRIs are not able to detect cancer, technically speaking. As another poster pointed out, masses of cancer cells have different densities than surrounding tissue (except in younger women with dense, fibrous breast tissue). The image on the computer screen typically shows lower density tissues as darker and high density items as white. The shape of the white areas, the size, and any clustering when viewed from a few different angles gives the radiologist a good indication of whether it *might* be cancer. Highly suspicious areas are usually biopsied (tissue sample taken with a large needle). The tissue sample is analyzed by a pathologist, and a pathologic diagnosis is the only way to actually know if cancer is present. Sometimes, a lump or a symptom may not show up on mammogram and other studies like ultrasound or MRI are used. With ultrasound, the tumor mass that’s invisible to x-rays may respond differently to sonic waves than surrounding tissue. PET scans can find and measure the aggressiveness of a cancer by measuring how fast the tumor metabolizes a radioactive bit of sugar that’s placed in the blood stream.

   A few companies have developed a computer algorithm that has monitored millions of mammograms and watched which suspicious spots ultimately wind up being cancerous and which are benign. Now, with the click of a button, a radiologist can have the computer point out all the various high risk spots, and the algorithm will provide a % indicating the likelihood of cancer based on biopsies of similar looking spots.

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