About mammography
This morning I went for a mammography. In Italy, the examination is offered for prevention from the age of 40.
In the UK it’s offered starting from the age of 50. It wasn’t my first time, though, as I had one during a senology visit when I lived in Cambridge and was just under 40. Why does it have to be so painful and uncomfortable? Didn’t anyone thought of a better way to perform the same test? A quick search revealed that someone did.
Many hospitals and diagnostic centres are still using the technology invented in the 60s, while a few teams are coming up with alternatives. 3D imaging is already a thing, although it doesn’t solve the pain issue.
The innovation that caught my interest comes from The Netherlands, where PA Imaging are developing “photo-acoustic mammography, enabling breast cancer screening for all women, irrespective of age”. Exciting.