The initial diagnosis of breast cancer is usually made during a physical examination or from a mammogram. The majority of the lesions or masses discovered will turn out to be benign. However, to establish this fact the women involved have to go through additional diagnostic tests such as further mammography, ultrasound, fine needle aspiration or open surgical biopsy. These additional tests are expensive and anxiety-provoking. Now a team of researchers from eight European hospitals and universities reports that an energy medicine device, the Biofield Diagnostic System, can provide accurate information as to whether an abnormal breast mass is cancerous or not. The study involved 661 women with suspicious lesions who had been scheduled for surgical biopsy. Prior to the biopsy the women were tested on the Biofield device. The test involves placing electrodes (similar to those used in obtaining electrocardiograms) on the skin over the suspicious breast mass as well as around the mass and in an identical pattern on the unaffected breast. Reference electrodes are placed on the palms of the hands. Electropotential (voltage) measurements are made over a one-minute period and recorded. The researchers found a very strong correlation between the magnitude of the differences in electropotential between the involved and uninvolved breasts and the likelihood that the suspicious lesion would be cancerous (as determined by the subsequent biopsy). The researchers conclude that the Biofield test can be used to reliably rule out malignant disease with a negative predictive value as high as 99.1 per cent. The accuracy of the test is somewhat less with non- palpable lesions because of the difficulty in placing the sensors accurately. NOTE: This study was partly funded by Biofield Corp., the manufacturer of the device.
Cuzick, Jack, et al. Electropotential measurements as a new diagnostic modality for breast cancer. The Lancet, Vol. 352, August 1, 1998, pp. 359-63