Use of Ultrasound in Detection of Breast Cancer

Breast Cancer Diagnosis: Use of Ultrasound in Detection of Breast Cancer

Use of Ultrasound in Detection of Breast Cancer

What is breast cancer, and how can it be diagnosed?

Breast cancer is still one of the leading diseases that threaten women’s lives all over the globe. Many females receive a breast cancer diagnosis every year, and many of them die from the illness. A timely diagnosis of breast cancer is important because the treatment is more effective in these cases. Therefore, different methods of imaging and screening have been employed to detect breast cancer right in its early stages, and ultrasound takes the central stage among all of them.

Breast cancer is carcinoma that affects the breast tissue that comprises the lining of the breast. It stalks from the ducts or lobular epithelial cells, creating a tumor. Breast cancerous cells can grow and spread to the other organs in the body and affect those healthy cells, leading to serious complications. A breast cancer exam is very vital so that once it is established early enough, it can be treated.

Breast cancer can be diagnosed using various techniques such as examination by feeling, mammogram, ultrasonography, and magnetic resonance imaging. Screening mammography is still widely practiced as the modality of choice in breast cancer screening because of the excellent tumor detection rates. However, mammography might not be well suited for some women who have dense breast tissue or young women who are at a greater risk of developing breast cancer.

Ultrasound is a noninvasive diagnostic technique that has become popular in screening for and diagnosing breast cancer because of the accuracy and safety associated with its use. The present article plans to review the application of ultrasound in breast cancer diagnosis, describe the mechanism of the method, discuss the benefits and drawbacks, and discuss recent trends in the development of the technique.

Ultrasound

Diagnostic ultrasound is a noninvasive medical procedure that uses sound waves to produce pictures of the internal organs and tissues. When used in the breast, ultrasound provides a dynamic display of breast tissue and the size, shape, and texture of the abnormality. These higher-frequency sound waves are produced by another machine known as the transducer, which is applied to the female breast skin.

When having a breast ultrasound, the transducer emits sound waves that pass through the skin and into the breast. When these sound waves traverse the tissues, they reflect back and make what are known as echoes, and these echoes are processed and displayed on a computer monitor as images. These images are the best bet that a radiologist can use to locate any unusual growth or alteration of breast tissue that may point toward breast cancer.

Use of Ultrasound in Detection of Breast Cancer
Credit: https://northwayclinic.co.uk/

Advantages of Ultrasound Imaging in Breast Cancer Detection

The welfare of utilizing ultrasound in breast cancer detection Before conclusion, the following are the reasons for the importance of utilizing ultrasound in the detection of breast cancer.

  • First of all, ultrasound is not invasive and does not require using ionizing radiation, which is the case with mammography. This minimizes the possibility of contracting radiation-induced cancers and lowers the overall lifespan collateral damage resulting from radiation exposure.
  • Ultrasound is even more valuable when used in the treatment of breast cancer in women with highly dense breast tissue. Using mammography, abnormal cells cannot be easily distinguished due to a high density of fibroglandular tissue in dense breast tissue. Ultrasound, however, is effective in the diagnosis of tumors in dense breast tissue because it varies in density.
  • Ultrasound in breast cancer detection lies in the fact that ultrasound provides real-time images of the breast. This makes it possible for the radiologist to observe the tissues in motion and, in the process, gain valuable information about the type of tumor. For instance, if a mass felt during the examination appears as a solid lobulated lesion that has an ill-defined margin that does not shift with the pressure applied while palpating, it is suggestive of cancer.
Use of Ultrasound in Detection of Breast Cancer
Credit:https://preciseradiology.com.au/
  • Although widespread as a diagnostic tool, ultrasound has some limitations in breast cancer diagnosis. Ultrasound has more limitations in evaluating small tumors that are less than one centimeter in diameter. To be specific, this limitation may sometimes result in false negatives, that is, a tumor may not be observed during the examination. Mammography, on the other hand, has a higher specificity for small tumors and microcalcifications, which are mostly associated with breast cancer.
  • Ultrasound examination may be operator-dependent since the image produced will depend on the expertise of the radiologist carrying out the examination. This may compromise the validity of the diagnosis and, in certain cases, require a second examination or further tests in order to detect cancer.

Recent Development in the Ultrasound Equipment

However, the idea remains that the advancement in this field is constant, and those who deal with the technology are focused on creating better ultrasound equipment and increasing the efficiency of the technique in breast cancer diagnosis. The first of these is the development of the 3D ultrasound, where a model of the breast tissue along with all its details is constructed. This technology has also proved useful in increasing the visibility of tumors, especially in dense breast tissue.

Another research topic that has been proposed concentrates on the application of artificial intelligence and machine-learning principles to ultrasound imaging. Computer-aided ultrasound interpreting devices can interpret the images in a better and faster way than a radiographer, which may be beneficial to increase diagnostic yield as well as decrease the need for follow-up.

Breast Cancer Diagnosis: Use of Ultrasound in Detection of Breast Cancer
Credit: https://www.baptisthealth.com/

Conclusion

Ultrasound has been invaluable in diagnosing the early stages and existence of breast cancer. It is less invasive than mammography and can well identify tumors in dense breast tissue and images in real-time, making it a valuable substitute for mammography. Of course, there are some restrictions when it comes to the utilization of ultrasound, but further studies together with the progress in the sphere of technology make ultrasound more efficient in the identification of breast cancer.

Breast cancer kills many women each year, and as we proceed to fund increased research and create better screening procedures for the disease, it is imperative to remind women of the significance of screening and getting checked as soon as possible. Through using ultrasound and other instruments, the diagnosis of breast cancer will be enhanced, which will help reduce the number of people who succumb to this deadly disease.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *