Cancer Articles (Dr. S.N White)

What is a fluoroscope?  This is a kind of x-ray in which a special machine ( the fluoroscope ) takes a continuous x-ray so that the doctor can see the movement of internal organs. A fluorescent screen, coated with a special substance, is mounted in front of an x-ray tube. The x-ray shadow is cast on the screen. The fluoroscopic image can be amplified and displayed on a television screen. Fluoroscopy can show the expansion of the lung or a barium liquid passing through a patient's esophagus to his stomach. Fluoroscopic techniques sometimes provide important information which cannot be obtained in any other way. How much radiation exposure will I get from a fluoroscope? Fluoroscopes take longer to perform and often expose you to more radiation than do the conventional x-ray exams recorded on film. There are new machines which give better images with less exposure, particularly those which amplify the light from the fluoroscopic screen and then provide a brighter image on a TV...

What is a mammogram? This is a special X-ray method of examining the breasts. Skill and special experience are required for the performance of the examination and for the interpretation of the X ray. This is done either in the hospital's department of diagnostic radiology or in the specialist's office. A specially trained technician, usually female, will X-ray the breasts in various positions. Each breast will be radiographed, even though the lump is only in one, so that the two sides may be compared. The presence and type and arrangement of certain calcium granules suggest the nature of the growth. In recent years this has become a great aid to the diagnosis of early breast conditions and to the follow-up examination of women who have already had some form of breast surgery. It is completely painless and involves no risk. The examination may take thirty to sixty minutes. How accurate is the mammogram, and why haven't I had this preventive cancer test suggested to me...