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Most patients said mammography is too painful, and it could damage breast implants. Some patients also have concerns about radiation exposure, Chen said. ...

By Shelley Shan

STAFF REPORTER

Sunday, Dec 09, 2007, Page 2

Regular screening should ensure the early detection of breast cancer, which could raise the survival rate to almost 100 percent, medical experts said yesterday.

Chen Ching-shyang, chief of the Breast Health Center at Taipei Medical University Hospital, said that statistics from the Department of Health showed breast cancer has become one of the leading causes of death among women.

He said that there are almost 6,000 new breast cancer patients each year. Patients are usually between 40 and 50 years of age, he said.

Chen said 80 percent of breast cancer patients are found to be in stage zero, stage one and stage two when they come to the hospital for clinical service, adding that more patients now come when they are in stage zero.

"Stage zero" refers to the phase in which the tumor cells have yet to invade the surrounding tissues. If the condition remains untreated, the cells could eventually become malignant tumors.

The chance of survival if cancer is detected at stage zero is almost 98 percent and patients may get to keep the breast and take hormone therapy instead, he said.

Currently, there are several screening methods for breast cancer, including ultrasound, mammography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Chen outlined the advantages and disadvantages of these screening methods.

He said an ultrasound is less expensive and usually causes no side effects. However, the machines can only detect tumors bigger than 0.5cm. Doctors must also be adept in operating the machine so that it can produce a more accurate report.

Chen said mammography is able to detect the calcification of tissues in the breast, but that doctors may have problems interpreting mammographs if the breast contains too much glandular tissues. The procedure is not easy for the patients either, he said.

Most patients said mammography is too painful, and it could damage breast implants. Some patients also have concerns about radiation exposure, Chen said.

He said breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is more thorough than the other two methods. The machine can detect a tumor as small as 0.1 cm.

However, Chen said, the MRI is more expensive, each costing between NT$28,000 and NT$38,000.