WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Today, October 18 marks the National Mammography Day in the U.S. The day is observed on the third Friday of October every year. In 1993, the day was first declared by Bill Clinton, when he was the president of the U.S.
Mammography plays an important role in early detection of breast cancer, the most common type of cancer diagnosed among women in the U.S. Survival rate depends on how early the disease is diagnosed and treated.
Over the past several decades, there has been a significant evolution in mammography, thanks to the technologic advances.
In 1913, Albert Salomon, a German surgeon, who is considered to be the father of mammography, first used X-rays to detect breast cancer. He conducted experiments in more than 3000 surgical specimens that were taken from the breast. He also discovered that there are different types of breast cancer.
The first clinical mammography was done by Otto Kleinschmidt, a surgeon at Leipzig University Hospital, in 1927.
The first digital systems arrived in the early 2000s. The latest mammography machine produces 3D images in slices which allow the doctors to view the tissues without any overlapping.
To make women aware of the importance of mammography, National Mammography Day is observed in the month of October, which happens to be the breast cancer awareness month.
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
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