Evaluation of x-ray diffraction enhanced imaging in the diagnosis of breast cancer abundant microstructures in the peak images recorded by x-ray films and magnified by optical microscope, but this image processing procedure is not as convenient as using CCDs The differences of the integrated intensity of rocking curves are also a possible way to distinguish normal, benign or malignant breast tissues. The DEl method could be valuable in the diagnosis of breast cancers in their early stage. To our knowledge, so far only breast useltiy specimens have been imaged with DEL, not the whole in vivo tissue. While DEI may be useful in characterizing breast tissue specimens, it is not yet useful in detecting breast cancer Acknowledgments This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(no. 10105002) nd National Basic Research Programme of China(no. 2005CB523306 References Bothorel S, Meunier BB and Muller s A 1997 Fuzzy logic based approach for semilogical analysis of microcalcification oman D. Thomlinson W. Johnston R E. Washburn D, Pisano ayers D 1997 Diffraction enhanced x-ray imaging Phys Med Biol. 42 2015-25 Giammarile F and Bremond A 2004 Diagnostic of breast cancer: what do clinicians expect from PEM Nuc/ Instrum Methods Phys Res. A 52783-6 Feig SA 2002 Effect of service screening mammography on population mortality from breast carcinoma Cancer 451-7 Fiedler S, Bravin A, Keyrilainen J, Femandez M, Suortti P, Thomlinson W, Tenhunen M, Virkkunen Pand Karjalainen- Lindsberg M-L 2004 Imaging lobular breast carcinoma: comparison of synchrotron radiation DEI-CT technique Fiedler S, Pagot E, Cloetens P, Bravin A, Baruchel J, Hartwig J, Coan P, Salicru B and Thomlinson W2003 Evaluation of the phase contrast techniques: diffraction enhanced imaging and propagation Proc. SPIE 5030 266-73 breast conservation in breast carcinoma patients age 40 years and older Cancer 98918-25 Hasnah MO, Zhong Z, Oltulu O, Pisano E, Johnston R E, Sayers D, Thomlinson W and Chapman D 2002 Diffraction enhanced imaging contrast mechanisms in breast specimens Med. Phys. 29 2216-21 Humphrey LL, Helfand M, Chan B K S and Woolf S H 2002 Breast cancer screening: a summary of the evidence for the U.S. preventive services task force Ann Intern. Med. 137 347-60 Lewis R A et al 2002 Diffraction enhanced imaging: improved contrast, lower dose x-ray imaging Proc. SPIE 4682286-97 Lewis R A 2004 Medical phase contrast x-ray imaging: current status and future prospects Phys Med. Biol. 493573-83 Liu C L, Zhang Y, Zhang X Y, Yang WT, Peng wJ, Shi D R, Zhu PP, Tian Y L and Huang wx 2005 X-rays diffraction enhanced imaging of uterine leiomyomas Med. Sci Monit. 11 MT33-38 Liu C L, Zhang Y, Yan X H, Zhang X Y, Li X, Yang WT and Shi DR 2006 Infrared absorption of human breast tissues in vitro Lumin. 119-200132-6 Margaritondo G and Meuli R 2003 Synchrotron radiation in radiology: novel x-rays sources Eur Radiol. 13 2633-4 Menk R H 1999 Interference imaging and its application to material and medical imaging Nucl. Phys. B 78 604-9 Niklason L T et al 1997 Digital tomosynthesis in breast imaging Radiology 205 399-406 Orel S G. Mendonca M H, Reynolds C, Schnall M D, Solin L J and Sullivan 1997 MR imaging of ductal carcinoma in situ Radiology 202 413-20 Shankar PM. Reid J M, Ortega H, Piccoli C Wand Goldberg B B 1993 Use of non-Rayleigh statistics for identification of tumors in ultrasonic B-scans of the breast IEEE Trans. Med Imaging 12 687-92 Suortti P and Thomlinson W 2003 Medical application of synchrotron radiation Phys Med Biol. 48R1-35 Wilkinson SJ, Rogers K D, Hall C J, Lewis R A, Round A, Pinder S E, Boggis C and Hufton A 2005 Small angle diffraction imaging for disease diagnosis Nuc/ Instrum. Methods Phys Res. A 548 135-9 Zhong Z, Thomlinson w, Chapman D and Sayers D 2000 Implementation of diffraction enhanced imaging xperiments: at the NSLS and ASP Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys Res 450 556-68Evaluation of x-ray diffraction enhanced imaging in the diagnosis of breast cancer 427 abundant microstructures in the peak images recorded by x-ray films and magnified by optical microscope, but this image processing procedure is not as convenient as using CCDs. The differences of the integrated intensity of rocking curves are also a possible way to distinguish normal, benign or malignant breast tissues. The DEI method could be valuable in the diagnosis of breast cancers in their early stage. To our knowledge, so far only breast tissue specimens have been imaged with DEI, not the whole in vivo tissue. While DEI may be useful in characterizing breast tissue specimens, it is not yet useful in detecting breast cancer in asymptomatic women. Acknowledgments This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (no. 10105002) and National Basic Research Programme of China (no. 2005CB523306). References Bothorel S, Meunier B B and Muller S A 1997 Fuzzy logic based approach for semilogical analysis of microcalcification in mammographic images Int. J. Intell. Syst. 12 819–48 Chapman D, Thomlinson W, Johnston R E, Washburn D, Pisano E, Gmur N, Zhong Z, Menk R, Arfelli F and Sayers D 1997 Diffraction enhanced x-ray imaging Phys. Med. Biol. 42 2015–25 Giammarile F and Bremond A 2004 Diagnostic of breast cancer: what do clinicians expect from PEM Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res. A 527 83–6 Feig S A 2002 Effect of service screening mammography on population mortality from breast carcinoma Cancer 95 451–7 Fiedler S, Bravin A, Keyrilainen J, Fernandez M, Suortti P, Thomlinson W, Tenhunen M, Virkkunen P and Karjalainen￾Lindsberg M-L 2004 Imaging lobular breast carcinoma: comparison of synchrotron radiation DEI-CT technique with clinical CT, mammography and histology Phys. Med. Biol. 49 175–88 Fiedler S, Pagot E, Cloetens P, Bravin A, Baruchel J, Hartwig J, Coan P, Salicru B and Thomlinson W 2003 Evaluation of the phase contrast techniques: diffraction enhanced imaging and propagation Proc. SPIE 5030 266–73 Freedman G M et al 2003 Routine mammography is associated with earlier stage disease and greater eligibility for breast conservation in breast carcinoma patients age 40 years and older Cancer 98 918–25 Hasnah M O, Zhong Z, Oltulu O, Pisano E, Johnston R E, Sayers D, Thomlinson W and Chapman D 2002 Diffraction enhanced imaging contrast mechanisms in breast cancer specimens Med. Phys. 29 2216–21 Humphrey L L, Helfand M, Chan B K S and Woolf S H 2002 Breast cancer screening: a summary of the evidence for the U.S. preventive services task force Ann. Intern. Med. 137 347–60 Lewis R A et al 2002 Diffraction enhanced imaging: improved contrast, lower dose x-ray imaging Proc. SPIE 4682 286–97 Lewis R A 2004 Medical phase contrast x-ray imaging: current status and future prospects Phys. Med. Biol. 49 3573–83 Liu C L, Zhang Y, Zhang X Y, Yang W T, Peng W J, Shi D R, Zhu P P, Tian Y L and Huang W X 2005 X-rays diffraction enhanced imaging of uterine leiomyomas Med. Sci. Monit. 11 MT33–38 Liu C L, Zhang Y, Yan X H, Zhang X Y, Li C X, Yang W T and Shi D R 2006 Infrared absorption of human breast tissues in vitro J. Lumin. 119–200 132–6 Margaritondo G and Meuli R 2003 Synchrotron radiation in radiology: novel x-rays sources Eur. Radiol. 13 2633–41 Menk R H 1999 Interference imaging and its application to material and medical imaging Nucl. Phys. B 78 604–9 Niklason L T et al 1997 Digital tomosynthesis in breast imaging Radiology 205 399–406 Orel S G, Mendonca M H, Reynolds C, Schnall M D, Solin L J and Sullivan 1997 MR imaging of ductal carcinoma in situ Radiology 202 413–20 Shankar P M, Reid J M, Ortega H, Piccoli C W and Goldberg B B 1993 Use of non-Rayleigh statistics for identification of tumors in ultrasonic B-scans of the breast IEEE Trans. Med. Imaging 12 687–92 Suortti P and Thomlinson W 2003 Medical application of synchrotron radiation Phys. Med. Biol. 48 R1–35 Wilkinson S J, Rogers K D, Hall C J, Lewis R A, Round A, Pinder S E, Boggis C and Hufton A 2005 Small angle diffraction imaging for disease diagnosis Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res. A 548 135–9 Zhong Z, Thomlinson W, Chapman D and Sayers D 2000 Implementation of diffraction enhanced imaging experiments: at the NSLS and ASP Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res. 450 556–68