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Show July 8, 1993 tfeelhiifiioDogjy Weipin)liiffe Founds in medium S3(STQdl by Debra Millett film. normally seen on y Dr. to Andrew According Laine, assistant professor, Computer and Information Sciences DepartEGLIN AFB, Fla. (AFMCNS) Computer inno- ment at the University of Florida, radiologists now vations developed to help smart weapons see then-targe- see only about 3 percent of the information captured may soon help radiologists detect breast on y film. This new processing technique should cancer earlier in mammograms. greatly increase that amount. "Our goal is to find As part of a Department of Defense initiative, growths as early as possible. We can detect tumors military laboratories now share their discoveries as small as one millimeter in size," said Laine. One with agencies outside the government. Known as millimeter is about the width of a sewing needle. dual use technology, developments invented for However, computer processing for just one Wright Laboratory Armament Directorate are be- parameter, or specialized function of a program in ing applied in cancer research. digitized mammography, may take from one to Researchers at the University of Florida are ex- several hours, according to Laine. "There's no set perimenting with image processing techniques to of parameters that can cover the diversity of features needed," he said. Thus, digitized mammoglean more detail from mammograms, or breast A computer language originally developed for grams take a long time to process. But promising breakthroughs at the Armament imaging guidance systems and automatic target recognition in future "smart" weapons promises to Directorate also may meet that challenge. Dr. provide highly detailed images not normally seen on Patrick C. Coffield, senior research analyst in the y film. Advanced Guidance Division, has designed a mulMammograms play a major role in early cancer tiple processor computer that uses an image processdetection. But because of the nature of breast tis- ing language to speed up the processing time. sue density, often subtle details don't show up, par- Eventually this device may hold the key to providticularly in younger women and women on hormone ing information to radiologists therapy. Breast tissue in those categories of women directly from transformation processing. tends to be too dense to reveal small tumors on nor"There's always been this missing link," said mal Coffield. "We have the capability to process a lot However, this new technique, called wavelet trans- of information, but it takes a comform processing, provides a method to bring out the puter a long time. The technology developed for detail necessary for early diagnosis. And according smart weapons reduces the computer size needed to the American Cancer Society, the earlier the di- and can process information a million times faster." g After all, looking for and agnosis, the better the chances for survival. In this experimental process, as mammograms are methods are challenges that smart weapon descanned electronically; the scanning process con- velopers always face. Whether on a speeding misverts the y information into digitized informa- sile or on a bomb looking for its target, "smart" tion, which is numeric computer language. Then, weapon imaging sensors and processors have to thanks to the development of the image processing work fast and yet be small enough to fit inside the language, the transformation technique produces a weapon. But processing rate isn't the only thing that highly refined image, revealing many subtleties not X-ra- ts X-ra- X-ray- s. X-ra- near-instantaneo- X-ray- s. single-process- time-savin- or size-cuttin- g X-ra- CountryCrofters Bunny Mali Shop for Christmas Early-Ju- ly Behind Layton mm researchers hope to speed up. At present, a radiologist spends from 15 to 45 minutes reading a mammogram. "Our goal is to cut the time down to about 10 minutes and provide four new transformed imfrom the radiages besides the original set of to said Laine. examine," ologist When reading mammograms, radiologists look for small deformities that can be interpreted as cancerous. Generally, multiple films of the same patient are placed on a light box. After the radiologist reads and compares the present and past the doctor then makes a diagnosis. Eglin's chief of Radiology Services, Dr. (Col.) Kathryn L. Boehnke, explains that reading mammograms requires time and intense concentration. "The subtleties between the soft tissue makes reading a mammogram extremely difficult," explained Boehnke. "This is something you can't do with a lot of interruptions. Most radiologists develop a pattern when viewing mammograms. I use a magnifying glass that has a larger magnification lens in one corner. The process is very regimented because you can't afford to overlook anything." Radiologists look for small microcalcifications, which are minuscule calcium pockets at the center of cancerous tumors. The geometric arrangement of these growths can be a clue in discerning cancerous growths, according to Boehnke. If the calcifications show up in a jagged, star-lik- e pattern, that could a not always. cancerous But suggest growth: decision when "It's not always a a Boehnke. said reading mammogram," Although research on digitized mammography is in its early stages, researchers are optimistic about the program's potential. According to Laine, researchers are now involved in verifying the technique in a study. Digitized mammograms from more than 300 people, half with biopsy-provedisease, will undergo scrutiny from a team of radiologists. The American Cancer Society estimates that about 46,000 people, mostly women, died of breast cancer in 1992. A woman's chances of being diagnosed with breast cancer at some time in her life are X-ray- s, 'black-and-whit- e' n one in nine. "This technology is truly 'dual use,' " Coffield said. "The Air Force not only gets a 'smarter' weapon, everyone benefits from the early detection of cancer." Great Oriental Food Doesn't HaveTb Cost The Albrtune. 12-3- 1 Hills Mall. next to Ernst 546-033- 0 1 There is a need in your own community and your organization can help. Please contact your local Red Cross chapter to find out how. 7 X-ra- Wright Laboratory Armament Directorate - Hilltop Times Includes the Soup, Salad and Fruit Bar. Oder available at participating restaurants for a limited time only. wmm&mtmmmstmtm ALL YOU CAN EAT BREAKFAST BUFFET ONLY 6:00 A.M. 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