The Microwave Detector
Dateline: 11/05/98
When we think of electromagnetic radiation, we often think of a cancer-causing agent. In a recent study, scientists have used microwave radiation to develop a theoretical procedure for detecting breast tumors. The procedure is more cost effective and less invasive than a mammography. Scientists hope that this procedure may be used in conjunction with mammograms to help find the estimated 10 to 35 percent of tumors missed by mammograms.
Breast cancer strikes nearly 200,000 women each year resulting in over 40,000 deaths. It is recommended that women over the age of 40 have yearly mammograms. Unlike X-ray mammography, which uses penetrating electromagnetic radiation, this new technique bounces low energy non-ionizing microwave radiation off the surface of the skin. In X-ray mammography, the radiation passes all the way through the tissue to a film plate on the opposite side. In the microwave technique, no compression of the breast is required.
From previous studies, it was known that microwaves interact with human tissue based on the water content of the tissue. In many cases, malignant tumors have a much higher water content than the surrounding normal breast tissue. By using this differential, the technique is able to discern between potential tumors and normal tissue.
The device has not yet been tested on humans, but researchers hope to conduct such studies in 1999. For now, supercomputer simulations have been used to test a prototype of the device.
Researchers stressed that women should continue to receive mammograms and not wait for technologies currently in development. They speculate that when fully developed, the microwave technology would eliminate two common concerns of a mammogram: exposure to X-rays and the discomfort of breast compression.
The technique will also produce faster results. Since the technique relies on digital signals, no film will need to be developed. A three-dimensional image will be available immediately after the procedure.
The new technique is highly sensitive and may assist in finding malignant tumors at a very early stage. The researchers hope that when used in conjunction with a mammography, this new technique will prove a potential lifesaver.
What do you think? Might this new technique ultimately encourage more women to be screened on a regular basis? What are the benefits based on the cost savings? Come over to the Biology Forum and share your thoughts, opinions, and feelings.
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