Breast imaging: A survey

World J Clin Oncol. 2011 Apr 10;2(4):171-8. doi: 10.5306/wjco.v2.i4.171.

Abstract

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death in women. It occurs when cells in the breast start to grow out of proportion and invade neighboring tissues or spread throughout the body. Mammography is one of the most effective and popular modalities presently used for breast cancer screening and detection. Efforts have been made to improve the accuracy of breast cancer diagnosis using different imaging modalities. Ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging have been used to detect breast cancers in high risk patients. Recently, electrical impedance imaging and nuclear medicine techniques are also being widely used for breast cancer screening and diagnosis. In this paper, we discuss the capabilities of various breast imaging modalities.

Keywords: Breast cancer; Breast magnetic resonance imaging; Breast ultrasound; Mammography; Thermography.