New technology called stereoscopic digital mammography is proving to be dramatically more accurate than standard digital mammography.

Initial testing has shown a decrease in false positive findings of almost 50% with the new technology and it reduced the incidence of missed lesions by 40%. This is huge. Eliminating false positives will reduce dramatically the need for further testing and possibly unnecessary invasive biopsies.

Increasing the percentage of lesions found means that more cancer will be detected at earlier stages and that means better treatment results.

Both of these improvements will save stress on those tested and their families. While there may be joy in finding out that a cancer diagnosis was a false positive, there is trauma and grief that comes first.

Bottom line. Better testing has already helped turn the corner on cancer. Combining early detection with better treatment means that more and more women will be surviving breast cancer. The good news from a life insurance perspective is that early detection generally means low stage and grade, a combination that makes reasonable life insurance show up in your life much quicker.