Encounters: Journal Post 9

The other day I was on the internet aimlessly waiting for my next class. As I scrolled through pages upon pages on Tumblr, I came across a blog that posted an article about a breakthrough in breast cancer diagnosis. My aimless internet-combing finally paid off. 

The article was titled "Imaging software could speed up breast cancer diagnosis." The article was written earlier this month and told of a new method of diagnosis for breast cancer that was recently developed. Richards-Kortum's lab developed a software that may be the future of how we approach breast cancer and provide resources to those who are not able, such as third-world countries. The software is said speed up diagnosis with a 90% accuracy.

The article goes on by first stating how breast cancer diagnosis occurs currently. The procedure consist of a tissue sample taken either by an incision or a a needle. The sample is then examined in a lab through the observation of cancerous cells under a microscope. The new software developed is non-invasive and does not require the time consuming tissue preparation and examination used now. This is performed with the use of a high-speed optical microscope. The software consists of a confocal fluorescence microscope that uses the parameter data of tissue. The tissues being examined are compared to a sample of healthy breast tissue leading to the determination of malignant of benign tissue.

While this scientific breakthrough is sure to be one that will change the way breast cancer is handled, more research and experimentation of the software is being conducted.

The article was very interesting. It is important to know what breakthroughs are occurring in the field I am pursuing. The article taught me of not only the process of breast tissue examination for cancer, but also how different methods can be used to determining the existence of cancerous tissue. The article was very relevant to the class because it often mentioned the histological processes that are done to diagnose breast cancer. It also spoke of how the tissues are effected by this cancer.