Non-Invasive Cancer Test May Help Identify Breast Tumors

June 22, 2010 -- After getting numbed up, Sherry Gavanditti had to watch while doctors removed what she called a corkscrew-sized piece of tissue from her left breast.

She saw the needle pierce her flesh, and then heard what she said sounded like a staple gun.

A little while after the biopsy was over, the area where the procedure was done was black and blue and tender to the touch.

Doctors told her she needed the test after she discovered a lump in her left breast. And even though it was benign, doctors told her it had to be checked regularly.

"They advised me to come back for a biopsy every year," she said.

She underwent her fourth biopsy after finding a lump under her arm last month, and definitely wishes there were another way.

"I asked for an ultrasound to get a clear idea of the scope of the lump," she said. "The biopsy is painful and scary, and I wonder what damage they may be doing with all the poking."

There may be an alternative coming, according to a study from the University of Connecticut and the University of Connecticut Health Center. They found that the combination of ultrasound and optical tomography identified whether small lesions in the breast were cancerous.

Whether it will one day be able to help people like Gavanditti is a matter of debate among breast cancer experts. A biopsy is the gold standard in determining whether a growth is malignant or not.

The new test is non-invasive, however, and may let doctors shine more light on the nature of breast tumors.

The Connecticut researchers used ultrasound to locate the areas where the lesions were, and then used a hand-held device to shine light of two different wavelengths on each lump. Since there's more blood flowing through cancerous tissue, they were able to tell which lumps were cancerous based on the amount of light they absorbed.

When compared with the results of biopsies, the combination of ultrasound and optical tomography identified nine out of 10 tumors.