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A black and white photograph - of a woman having a hookwire inserted into her breast to localise a small cancer prior to surgery - is one of 10 winning entries in an international photography competition organised by the prestigious medical journal, The Lancet .

The winning entry is one of a series taken by West Australian photographer Jacquie Moran who documented various aspects of breast cancer for a book, Breast Cancer: the Facts , co-authored by Winthrop Professor Christobel Saunders from The University of Western Australia and her colleague Dr Sunil Jassal.

The winning photo was not used in the book and Professor Saunders encouraged Ms Moran to enter it in The Lancet's Highlights competition, now in its third year. The competition aims to show how images can transcend barriers of language, demography and status, and offer the viewer an unparalleled opportunity to share another person's experience.

The photo shows a woman lying face down on a special table, covered with a sheet. One breast is suspended through an opening in the stereotactic prone table so the hookwire can be inserted, under local anaesthetic, up and into the breast. The woman had earlier had a mammogram that showed an abnormality too small to detect as a lump. The abnormality turned out to be a tiny breast cancer that was then successfully removed.

"Breast cancer is diagnosed in 1.2 million women worldwide each year," Professor Saunders said. "Happily, outcomes are usually good. Survival has doubled during the past two decades, reflecting both improved treatments and earlier diagnosis. Localising very small breast abnormalities found on mammography can be complex, involve sophisticated imaging and surgical techniques, and be daunting for the patient.

"Up to one in 20 women having a screening mammogram may need further tests but fortunately the vast majority will not turn out to have cancer."

Breast Cancer: the Facts covers all aspects of the diagnosis and management of breast cancer in a clear and concise manner.

To see the image:

https://download.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PIIS014067361161903X.pdf?id=5bbe37e152166496:-1f5cdf09:13462e3033a:-16c91324512769092

Media references

Winthrop Professor Christobel Saunders (UWA School of Surgery)  (+61 8)  9346 2146
Michael Sinclair-Jones (UWA Public Affairs)  (+61 8)  6488 3229  /  (+61 4) 00 700 783