Things to Come: 3D mammograms:

Conventional mammography projects X-rays through the breast onto a sheet of photographic film or detector screen. Tumours, being more dense than most healthy tissues, show up as a shadow on the exposed film or screen.

This detects only 65-70% of breast cancers - small tumours can be obscured by other breast structures. Moreover, only 10-20% of women who have a biopsy turn out to have cancer, as overlapping images of healthy bits of tissue can sometimes look like a possible tumour.

Instead of keeping the X-ray source stationary, Eberhard's team scans the breast in an arc and collects a sequence of 10 to 20 images in a digital detector. They then use a computer to turn these images into a series of 2-D cross-sections. In this way they build up a much sharper and more detailed picture of the breast tissue.

Anything that adds to the clarity of mammograms is a welcome development.