Kaiser Health News (1/16, Andrews) reports on whether a 3-D mammogram is more effective than “the standard test.” The article says that research has “generally shown that the 3-D test is slightly better at detecting cancers than the 2-D test,” but there is doubt as to whether the 3-D tests are “any better at identifying the advanced cancers that will become lethal.” Dr. Etta Pisano, chief science officer at the American College of Radiology’s Center for Research and Innovation, explained, “Cancers don’t always progress and kill people.” She added, “Costs are high for new technologies. ... Maybe they are better, but we need to have evidence before we recommend it for the entire population.”

The Radiology Business Journal (1/10, Walter) reports that research suggests that “if preoperative MR imaging reveals the presence of peritumoral edema in a patient with invasive breast cancer, it could be a sign of disease recurrence later on.” The findings were published in Radiology.

MedPage Today (1/10, Walsh) reports that research suggests “long-term cutaneous fibrosis can occur following radiation therapy for breast cancer among women with scleroderma, although acute toxicity from radiation was rare and the autoimmune disease did not flare.” Researchers found that “few patients who received radiation had acute skin toxicity such as blistering or ulceration, but” approximately “half (48.4% to 54.6%) experienced long-term radiation-induced skin fibrosis or thickening that was localized to the field of radiation.” At one year “after the cancer diagnosis, there was no evidence of scleroderma disease flare, in that no significant difference was seen on modified Rodnan skin scores between patients who had received radiation and those without radiation.” The findings were published online in Arthritis Care & Research.

HealthDay (1/10, Dallas) reports that research suggests “women who are unhappy with the size of their breasts – whether too big or too small – may be less likely to perform self-exams to check for signs of breast cancer.” The research also indicated that “these women are...more likely to put off seeing a doctor if they do find a suspicious lump in their breast.” The findings were published in Body Image.

Aunt Minnie (1/10, Kim) reports that researchers have created a “3D-printed robot-guided device capable of facilitating MR-guided breast biopsy and improving the accuracy of breast cancer diagnosis.” The group includes Vincent Groenhuis, Françoise Siepel, PhD, and Stefano Stramigioli, PhD, from the Robotics and Mechatronics laboratory at the University of Twente in the Netherlands. The article says, “In a proof-of-concept study, the researchers found that the device was able to maneuver a needle toward target coordinates inside the breast with extreme precision on a single attempt.” The device is called Stormram 4 and it won the Surgical Robot Challenge at the 2017 Hamlyn Symposium in London, “a major event in the field of robotic surgery.”