October is recognized world over as the Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and this is the month where physicians and scientists from all over the world share the advancements they have made in the field of breast cancer detection, diagnosis and treatment.
The latest advancement which has been reported, and has impressed people everywhere, is the upgrading of mammography from film to digital, a move which is sure to make breast cancer detection better and more accurate.

Cheryl Williams, Assistant Professor of Radiology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, said, "Conventional film screen mammography is the process by which X-rays are passed through the breast and by a chemical reaction in the film the X-rays are turned into an image."

Procedures for both film and digital mammography are similar. Both used compression and X-rays to create images of the inside of a breast which are clear and easy to study.
However, in contrast to film mammography, digital mammography produces images instantly. The physician does not have to wait for a film to develop and this speeds up the whole process manifolds.

It has been advocated that all women over the age of 40 should get annual screenings for breast cancer, especially if there is a family history of the condition.