Promising method for diagnosing breast cancer: a research team from PSI, ETH Zurich, the Cantonal Hospital Baden and the University Hospital Zurich has further developed and improved the method for the early detection of breast cancer and promises hope for diagnostics.
Breast cancer is still the most common type of cancer in women today. In the course of her life, one in nine women is affected. In Switzerland alone, about 6000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer every year. This means that this type of cancer accounts for about one third of all cancer diagnoses in women.
The mammography used up to now only provides two-dimensional images, which often leads to unclear or incorrect diagnoses. The improved procedure based on X-ray phase contrast should not only provide considerably more reliable results, but will also be less painful for patients. Tumours should now be detected earlier than before due to the three-dimensional representation of the images, which in turn means that appropriate therapy can be started earlier and valuable time can be gained.
The research team plans to start clinical trials by the end of 2024, as soon as the prototype of the necessary device is ready for use. A project duration of one to two years is planned for the test series that will then follow, until the development of a commercial device could begin.
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(Photo: Paul Scherrer Institute/Markus Fischer)