Stereo mammography offers radiologists with a 3-D view of the breast’s internal composition by capturing two mammography images from slightly varying angles and displaying them on two Planar high –resolution systems (2,500 x 2,000 pixels) – LCD monitors that are connected one above the other at a 110degree inclination that are separated by glass partition that has a special coating. Through the specially layered glass the radiologist views the lower-placed monitor located at eye level while concurrently observing a reflection in the second monitor located at slightly higher than eye level and at angle facing down. The radiologist wears cross-polarised viewing glasses during the entire procedure. These images derived from varying advantage locations are then put together to comprehend the interiors of the breast in reference to the depth.

This novel procedure facilitates easier detection of small tumors that might be ambiguous due to being partly covered by adjacent normal tissue or on the other hand might conceal small malignancies.

Detailed images are not the sole issue as the inability to accurately deduce mammograms is also crucial in effectual breast cancer screening.  The precision of readings is dependent on the experience and skilfulness of the radiologists that interpret them. It is quite a tricky task to read mammograms as the radiologists or doctors are searching for preliminary stage cancerous growths that are miniscule sized, being 0.20inch or merely 0.50 cm in diameter. There is immense demand to skilfully be able to interpret mammograms.

The Stereoscopic mammography systems could be made by merely the addition of a stereo display to the existent digital mammography apparatus.

Stereo mammography has great potential in future as top mammography apparatus makers develop machines that would carry out breast digital tomosynthesis – a procedure that captures close to twenty images in an arc, with each of those images merely one to two degrees apart in front of each breast. These images could be coalesced and examined through stereo mammography equipment for creating 3-D images of the breast from varying angles.

Breast computed tomography or breast CT scan could be the superlative means of breast cancer screening though it might take a decade or so for it to be implemented.

Currently, Harvard scientist Kevin Struhl along with his associates discovered that metformin had the potential to destroy breast cancer stem cells believed to be the offenders responsible for proliferation and relapse of breast cancer.

Struhl during a news gathering organised for the announcement of the findings stated that, in mice that carried human breast cancers, the drug metformin was seen to make chemotherapy significantly effectual. Those mice that underwent treatment of the potent combo of metformin and chemotherapy were free of cancer for a period of four months as compared to those mice that underwent treatment with solely the drug.

Struhl further mentioned that while his latest study explores the effects of metformin on breast cancer, the drug could be additionally effective in other cancer types. Metformin was seen to target stubborn cancer stem cells that could not be treated by standard chemotherapy. Cancer stem cells are known to be highly resistant and nastier than normal cancer cells.

Struhl said that the mass of cells present inside a tumor are those cancer cells that grow but get destroyed during chemotherapy. However, there are additionally a tiny populace of cancer stem cells that are more apt at independently forming tumors and are highly resistant to chemotherapy than cancer cells. Despite standard chemotherapy, they continue to survive, effectively regenerating the tumor, leading to the disease relapsing.

Struhl states that Metformin was previously identified as safe and only requires to be established effectual in the human version of the clinical trials.

The other positive aspects about the findings were that Metformin and chemotherapy had an amazing synergy with each other and due to this combined effectuality Metformin could be administered with lower dosages of chemotherapy which is quite ideal due to the noxious nature of chemotherapy. Metformin in low dosages could be regarded as an ideal means of averting cancer even prior to the person having any cancer.

The scientists are hopeful that by the use of the Metformin drug one can continue to lower the levels of the innately stubborn, chemotherapy-resistant, latent cancer stem cells.

Ductal lavage operates on the well-accepted fact that majority of the breast cancers amounting to nearly 95% cases develop in the cell lining of the milk ducts present in the breast. Generally, breast cancer initially originates in a single duct and would remain present within that duct if detected in the preliminary stages. This early detection makes the treatment more effectual and raises the survival rates amongst such cases.

Regrettably by the time cancer gets diagnosed it has mostly spread way past one duct. An estimation done by specialists points to the fact that the cancer takes a time period of about eight to ten years to spread from a single cell to a cluster big enough, i.e., one billion cells to be diagnosed during a mammogram.

The doctors are optimistic about the ductal lavage screening procedure among those women in the high risk bracket and would aid in spotting the disease in its early stages, when it has a high likelihood of being adequately treated.

The ductal lavage is an outpatient procedure that is minimally invasive and is carried out in the three key steps, namely:

1. The nipple area is numbed by the application of a small amount of anesthetic cream. A mild suction action is employed to remove a little quantity of fluid from the milk ducts. The suction is carried out to detect the aperture of the ducts on the surface of the nipple and for identification of the ducts that need to be diagnosed. Normally, those ducts that do not secrete fluid are not diagnosed using the lavage method, as abnormal cells are widely observed in those ducts that emit fluid. Though most of the women are unable to produce fluid by this procedure. If fluid is not being produced then the test procedure is not carried ahead.
2. A fine tube that is hair-like in appearance is introduced inside the natural aperture of the duct. Supplementary anesthesia is passed through the duct. A saline solution that is made of a combo of salt and water solution is then introduced via the catheter as a rinsing mechanism done on the duct to release the cells from the lining of the ducts. The solution infused with the released cells is then drawn out through the catheter.
3. This withdrawn sample is further forwarded for detailed laboratory diagnosis to ascertain whether the cells are usual or the atypical forms of cells. Those women that have the presence of abnormal cells are at an elevated risk of getting breast cancer.