alternatives to mammograms? - Cancer: Breast Message Board

starsofglass · 12-04-2005, 11:11 AM

Has any one here had a different exam for detecting breast cancer? Such as thermography, or an exam where they send a small amount of electricity through your breasts( don't know the official name)? Apparently it's supposed to be a lot less unpleasant, and just as accurate (or more) than mammograms (unlike breast MRI's etc). Will these exams become more popular in the future?

WannaBeFreeToRoam · 12-04-2005, 02:15 PM

Hi Starsofglass,

I have never heard of any other procedure to detect breast cancer or lumps. If you have a mammogram every other year from 40 - 50 years old. Then a mammogram every year from 50 on up, you should be okay.

I am confused. Mammograms hardly hurt at all!!! It a little cold on your breast, but you hold your breath a couple of times and they squash your breast between two plastic sheets just for about 30 seconds! Even my spot compression mammogram, did not really hurt much. About the same as a regular mammogram!

But, let us know if you find out there is a new test. It must be either really new or really expensive, or we would have read about it in the newspaper.

Take care.

Wannabe

starsofglass · 12-04-2005, 03:05 PM

The other technique is called electrical impedance tomography/scanning.

WannaBeFreeToRoam · 12-04-2005, 11:40 PM

Hi,

That sure is a lot of information. Where did you find that? I would be nice to know so early on, if you were going to get breast cancer?! It will take a while to digest all that info! I may have to look up some of the words.

Take care and maybe it will work for you.

Wannabe

starsofglass · 12-05-2005, 12:13 AM

Where did I get the info? Just did an internet search... :-) If you do a search with the names of the exams, you'll get alot more info.
I'm still very young, so I'm hoping within a few years these exams will be accessible to me, because I have a hunch that mammograms will not be painless for me...