[Nfbf-l] Blind women and breast cancer! very interesting!

[davidw]

Women have all the luck
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Kirk" <kvharmon54 at gmail.com>
To: "NFB of Florida Listserv" <nfbf-l at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, November 03, 2009 5:12 AM
Subject: [Nfbf-l] Blind women and breast cancer! very interesting!


Just thought this was very interesting and wanted to share with all of you! 
Kirk

Blind women help detect breast cancer
By Nick Wade and Joana Krause-Palfner
For CNN

LONDON, England (CNN) -- Blind women are being trained to use their 
sensitive touch to help detect breast cancer earlier and more precisely than 
doctors.

The program, called "Discovering Hands," is the brainchild of German 
gynecologist Dr. Frank Hoffmann.

Two years ago, he created Braille strips as a system of orientation, 
allowing the blind to carry out breast examinations.

Using these strips blind women are trained to become Medical Tactile 
Examiners (MTUs) because they are more able to detect smaller lumps than 
sighted doctors.

Hoffman argues that because of their disability, the blind can possess a 
more acutely developed sense of touch, which has proved to be a valuable 
asset
in breast examinations.

Once the strips are placed along specific areas of the breast, they are then 
used to report a precise location to the doctor as the MTU reads their 
Braille
coordinates.

"We are turning a disability into a gift," Dr. Hoffmann told CNN.

"It's like the game Battleship," he added. "You have the exact location."

A study at the Essen University's women's clinic, Germany, concluded that 
MTUs found more and smaller tumors than doctors in 450 cases.

The identification of smaller lumps allows earlier diagnosis and more 
effective treatment.

Another advantage of having MTUs is that they are able to dedicate more time 
to examining a patient.

Dr. Hoffman said he had previously been able to spend only a few minutes on 
each examination due to his other commitments, whereas MTUs can commit half
an hour.

Training takes place at the BFW occupational school in
Düren,
west Germany, a center for those who are no longer able to continue their 
profession because of visual impairment or blindness.

So far, ten blind women have qualified as MTUs. One of the women, 
Marie-Luise Voll, 57, told CNN: " The work brings me a lot of joy."

Voll had previously practiced as a nurse before losing her sight in 2007, 
but used the experience when training at Düren for her new role.

The highly personal nature of the procedure means that only women will be 
trained. The MTUs report to the doctor - for whom they act as an assistant 
not
a replacement - who then uses this information as part of their ultimate 
diagnosis.

If an abnormality is located the doctor will decide how to proceed, with 
ultrasounds and mammography being the most frequent course of action.

The testing phase of the project between 2006 and 2008 has now been 
completed in Germany. The hope is that twenty trained MTUs will qualify 
every year after
2010.

The program has been acclaimed as a success by both patients and 
practitioners in Germany.

Health services in Europe including Ireland, France, Denmark and Austria 
have also registered interest in starting an equivalent of their own, 
Hoffman said.

Find this article at:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/07/29/german.blind.cancer/index.html

Kirk Harmon
1031 Lenmore CT.
Orlando, FL. 32812
Home office: (407) 380-3371

Cell: (407) 473-2176
E-mail address: kvharmon54 at gmail.com

BVA/FRG
E.Central Florida
Associate Director

911 cell phone
bank
 Chairperson
BVA/FRG

Mayors Veterans Advisory counsil
member

 Blind advocate
and fundraiser


" Smiles are nothing more than thirty second vacations!"
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