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Breast Cancer Diagnostic - Alternative Cancer Treatment

Medical professionals now have an extensive array of tools at their disposal to make diagnosis of breast cancer more reliable, especially in the early stages. That’s great news, since it considerably increases the odds of keeping breast cancer down to the level of ’serious but not permanently scarring or life-threatening’.
Diagnosis will usually start with a clinical exam. The physician will perform a hands-on breast examination similar to the self-exam that is recommended for all women over age 19. Cancerous lumps generally feel harder and less mobile than benign cysts. Cancer tumors are frequently irregular while non-cancerous lumps tend to be round. A trained professional can often tell the difference.
A mammogram assists in confirmation of the diagnosis. Modern digital mammograms typically rely on computer assistance. Detection of tumors is aided by complex algorithms that do a great job telling the difference between normal and suspect image sections. This tool greatly assists physicians in eliminating false positives and also helps in detecting smaller, less obvious issues in the early developmental stages.
Ultrasound is another modern tool that has been improved since its introduction. They’re excellent at helping to distinguish between a benign cyst and a cancer tumor. Since cysts are harmless, fluid-filled sacs they react to sound waves differently than do the harder, denser cancer cells.
MRI or Magnetic Resonance Imaging is another method used to diagnose breast cancer. Years ago it was unheard of for an insurance company to pay for this extremely pricey test. But recently costs have become lower and coverage has expanded. It is now more common. This machine works by passing a powerful magnetic field over the breasts, thus exciting the molecules in a way that does not harm the body, but still produces very distinctive results. This allows professionals to use images generated with an MRI to detect extremely small abnormalities and issues.
When other tests suggest that a closer look is warranted, a biopsy is often performed. Some may be as simple as a fine-needle aspiration. A small amount of fluid is removed via a needle from the detected breast lump. That fluid can be examined for cells that are associated with or constitute cancer.
A core biopsy, which is deeper, might also be used in some instances. This method also uses a needle, but it is thicker and removes tissue. More tissue is still removed during a surgical biopsy. The tissue sample is then examined by an oncologist for the presence of cancerous cells.
A new test developed at John Hopkins offers promise for even more accurate early diagnosis. Called a QM-MSP (quantitative multiplex methylation-specific PCR), it relies on fluid drawn from the breast. That fluid is then chemically analyzed. When abnormally high levels of certain molecules are detected it indicates the presence of cancer cells. Some studies suggest that clusters with as few as 50 cancer cells can be detected in this way. It was able to detect cancer in 84% of breast tumor samples used.
With so many modern technologies and techniques for testing, diagnosis can be done quickly and with much greater confidence than in the past. This is necessary for treatment of breast cancer in the timeliest way possible. It greatly improves the odds of it becoming a more serious matter than necessary.
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