ASRT/MDCB

Breast Cancer, Imaging, and Treatment Options: A Comprehensive Review

Approval by

ASRT/MDCB

Category

Pathology

Duration

15.0hrs

Release Date

06/16/2025

Course Description

Breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in women worldwide. It is not solely a women’s disease, however, as 1% of all breast cancers are diagnosed in men. While treatment regimens have improved greatly over the years, a successful treatment plan begins with an overall understanding of the disease including the histopathology and cancer types. Screening and early detection are the keys to overall treatment success. Understanding mammography, as well as other potential screening tools, are imperative to an overall understanding of the disease and how to treat patients diagnosed with it. Historically, an extremely aggressive and invasive surgical approach to treatment left many patients scarred both physically and psychologically. However, current treatments balance the patient’s survival with their desire for quality-of-life. This course will review the anatomy of the breast, the most common types of breast cancer, their etiology, epidemiology, staging, and grading. A review of surgical, chemotherapeutic, and radiation therapy treatment regimens will also be reviewed. Finally, a variety of radiation therapy treatment options will be covered including brachytherapy, proton therapy, external-beam irradiation, and brachytherapy.

Course Curriculum

Lesson One
Lesson Two

Lesson Three
0 : 0 : 6
Lesson Four
0 : 0 : 20

Lesson Five

Your Instructors

About Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a progressive musculoskeletal disease that affects over 240 million people worldwide with the hip and knee joints most often involved due to their weight-bearing roles. This disease is characterized by articular cartilage degeneration and bone remodeling which can lead to joint pain, stiffness, and reduced mobility. Digital radiography (DR) is the primary imaging modality for patients with OA due to its accessibility, low cost, and ability to reveal key features such as joint space narrowing, subchondral sclerosis, and osteophyte formation. Digital radiography is also used to stage OA, monitor disease progression, and guide treatment planning. Radiologic technologists (RTs) play a central role in OA assessment by performing standard hip and knee imaging studies while accommodating a patient's OA-related pain and mobility challenges when needed. This course begins with an overview of hip and knee joint anatomy and the pathophysiology, epidemiology, and clinical presentation of OA. Learners will explore the strengths and limitations of DR, patient care strategies, recommended radiographic projections, and image evaluation criteria. This course concludes with a review of radiographic signs of OA, common grading systems, and DR's role in managing patients with OA. Upon completion of this course, RTs will be equipped with the knowledge and skills to safely and accurately produce high-quality hip and knee images for OA assessment.