A new imaging technique using a contrast agent with gold particles could help mammography more reliably detect breast cancer in women with dense tissue, according to a preclinical study published online in ACS Nano.
Researchers from the University of Notre Dame found that injecting a low dose of gold nanoparticles into the mammary glands of mice made microcalcifications brighter and easier to distinguish on x-ray. Dense tissue can obscure microcalcifications on mammograms, wrote lead author Lisa Cole, PhD, and colleagues (ACS Nano, August 26, 2015).
The technique could eventually lead to more reliable breast cancer detection for women with dense breast tissue, the group wrote.
