3D breast scan pilot could save thousands of lives

Doctors here at UHSM are piloting a new 3D mammogram that spots breast cancer at an earlier stage, which has the potential to save thousands of lives.

The new technique can detect smaller tumours than traditional machines. This will improve a woman's chance of survival, and lessen the likelihood of them needing more radical treatment, such as chemotherapy or a mastectomy. 1500 volunteers have tried this new technology so far.

This breakthrough comes after the Government’s Review of Breast screening has concluded that the NHS mammogram programme saves around 1300 lives each year.

Sometimes screening will diagnosis a cancer that might never be fatal, and as a result some of the media coverage about “over-diagnosis” and “gruelling treatments” that women don’t need has sounded very negative, or even scary. There is another side to the story.

Here are five good reasons from our experts that women 
in the North West should ignore the sceptics and go for screening:

Breast cancers caught early need less surgery

Mammograms can pick up small breast cancers that are too small to feel. You are less likely to need a mastectomy if your breast cancer is found early, compared to waiting until it is big enough to feel or to cause you symptoms.

Breast cancers caught early need less chemotherapy

You are much less likely to be treated with chemotherapy if your breast cancer is found through screening, rather than waiting until it is big enough to feel.

Breast screening can save your life

Your risk of dying of breast cancer is smaller if you come regularly for screening. Of course this is not true for everyone. Many breast cancers are cured without screening, and some will die despite it; but overall it saves more than it harms.

New tests are reducing over-treatment

In the past, every breast cancer tended to be treated in the same way, which meant that some women had more treatment than they really needed for cure. Nowadays we have new tests such as OncotypeDX and Ki67 which allow us to tailor the treatment to the individual type of cancer.

New research is improving the Screening Programme

As well as the 3D technology mentioned above, there is a research project at UHSM called PROCAS, which has recruited 40,000 volunteers from across Greater Manchester. This project makes screening ‘smarter’ by targetting women at particular risk of breast cancer, rather than everyone all the same. We have new methods of prediction of who is at real risk, and research into prevention strategies to minimse that risk. There is also DCIS research in Manchester which is improving how pre-cancer of the breast is diagnosed and treated, and avoiding mastectomy whenever possible. Our team is already making substantial improvements to how screening works by targetting screening on those who need it the most, and then tailoring treatment if cancer is found to individual needs.

While the risk of over-diagnosis may never be completely eliminated (because we may die of something else in the meantime), we are definitely making progress to make breast screening something that every woman should do.