A Bragg crystal based method of X-ray mammography

In Connecticut there are currently over 60,000 mammograms performed each year, with 1800 resulting in a diagnosis of cancer. The breast cancer death rate is currently about 600 per year in the state. Studies have shown that early detection can greatly increase the chance of survival, so the mammogram is an essential tool in saving nomen´s lives. The researchers are currently developing a new method of mammography that will permit smaller tumors to be found before they have a chance to spread. The new method is similar to conventional X-ray mammography, but here the X-rays are focused into a narrow, intense line image that contains only one energy of radiation. This is important since tumors and healthy tissue look very similar under conventional X-ray exposure, where a broad range of X-ray energies are used. The researchers can select X-ray energies at which the contrast between healthy and cancerous tissue is the greatest This makes the tumors stand out more clearly in radiographic pictures, allowing doctors to find them earlier. The method has already been demonstrated in limited laboratory testing, using an ACR certified breast phantom, and the resulting radiographs indicate the great potential of the technique