TUESDAY, Sept. 18 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug
Administration has approved the first ultrasound device to
detect breast cancer in women with dense breast tissue, for use
along with standard mammography for women with no symptoms of
breast cancer, the agency announced Tuesday. About 40 percent of
women have dense breasts, which can make standard mammograms
more difficult to interpret, according to the U.S. National
Cancer Institute. Dense breasts have more connective and
glandular tissue than less-dense breasts, which contain more
fatty tissue. On regular mammograms, dense breast tissue appears
as solid white areas -- and so do tumors. Smaller tumors may be
hidden by dense breast tissue, possibly delaying cancer
detection, the FDA said in a news release. Using high-frequency
sound waves and computer analysis, however, ultrasound can
detect tumors even in dense breasts. The somo-v Automated Breast
Ultrasound System (ABUS), with a specially shaped transducer,
can scan an entire breast and produce s