Th Ever-Evolving World of Breast Cancer Techology

I had my annual bone scan a few days ago and was pleasantly surprised. For those of you who haven't ever had a bone scan, let me assure you, it is not painful. You just lie on this skinny table, this huge machinery (think X-ray machine in duplicate) whirls around you and that is it.

At a break in the "action" I asked the technician if this was a new machine and she told me I was correct. The table is still really hard and narrow (built for Barbie-doll size derrieres, not anyone over 100 pounds!), but the new machine is more open, quicker and quieter.

The metal plates scan your body from head to toe and then do it again by rotating two plates around you in a circular fashion and covering all of your body again from head to toe.

The only part I wasn't crazy about on the old machine was that when the machine was scanning your head, the plate is really, really close to your face. Now, you are in an open room and can see around you, but I don't like this metal plate 2 inches from my face. Fortunately, it only stays there a few minutes. The new machinery, a DXS I think (couldn't see the name of the manufacturer while lying down without my glasses), the plates are probably 6 inches from your face. Not so bad. I could see all around the room without squirming or feeling claustrophobic. It is also quiet. I had closed my eyes to relax and when I opened them, the machine was down to my knees. In the old days, you would hear it chugging along and moving.

The last benefit of the new device is that it is much quicker. The old scan used to have you on the table for about one hour - 10 minutes to set up the measurements for your height, another 20 for the first "pass" of the machine, rest 5 minutes (sit up and stretch) and then another 20 minutes for the circular "pass". I was done in 40 minutes. The technician said that each pass only lasts 12 minutes now. http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/WSI...

Progress! It's a great thing.

Some other areas of technology related to our disease that has improved tremendously in recent years are the mammography machinery, axillary dissection and ductul lavage.

The new digital mammo machines still compress you like a pancake, but the pictures are clearer, the images can be rotated, stored on a disc and emailed. No more waiting for the films to be read - the technician can see the images on the screen and reshoot if necessary. Easy storage, access and doctors around the world can look at the same pictures together. Next time you are due for a mammo, find out if your facility has a digital machine. The jury is still out on the screening benefit. It has not yet been proven that it finds more tumors or is more accurate than standard mammography, but it is a huge improvement. I am confident that once the radiologists and computer whizzes fine tune the digital mammo machine, it will be even better.

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