Energy medicine device detects breast cancer
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
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