On May 7th 2012, the research paper entitled:
“Visualizing breast cancer using the Twente photoacoustic mammoscope: What do we learn from twelve new patient measurements?”
Written by researchers from BMPI and the Medisch Spectrum Twente Hospital, was published in Optics Express (Opt. Express, Vol 20., Iss. 11, pp. 11582-11597 (2012)).
Together with the online publication of the manuscript, OSA distributed a press release concerning the work:
- http://www.osa.org/About_Osa/Newsroom/News_Releases/Releases/05.2012/Screening-for-Breast-Cancer-Without-X-rays.aspx
The paper describes the results from the first phase of the clinical study using the Twente photoacoustic Mammoscope (PAM, see Figure). In the first set of patients, PAM proved to be able to visualize breast cancer with high imaging contrast. The contrast of PAM was always higher than the contrast of x-ray mammography. Moreover, such confined high contrast regions were absent in case of cysts and seemed to be independent of the mammographically estimated breast density.
In the coming phases of the clinical study, which is performed in the Medisch Spectrum Twente hospital in Oldenzaal, the focus will gradually shift from suspicious to less suspicious and eventually healthy breasts.
For more information about the paper and the clinical study using PAM, contact Michelle Heijblom (m.heijblom@utwente). For more information about other projects on (biomedical) photoacoustic imaging, contact dr. Srirang Manohar (s.manohar@utwente.nl).