Mammography and its value as a screening tool may be under scrutiny. A number of women don't like getting them, complaining that the compression is painful, and worrying about even the small doses of radiation. So a number of Canadian scientists and companies are trying to design new ways to assess the breast cancer risk for women.

Canadian company Advanced Research Technologies has come up with a new way of hunting for breast tumours. Using a device they've called Softscan, a woman's breast is examined by immersing it in a special liquid. A laser light then scans the tissue. The result is a picture not just of breast, but of blood vessels and potential areas where tumours could arise.

"Not only can it detect tumours, but also distinguishes between benign and malignant tumours," says ART president Micheline Bouchard, who adds that the device can help avoid painful and costly biopsies.

"It's not painful, there's no radiation, and it's more comfortable," Bouchard says.

Patient Linda McDougall needs a mammogram every year because her breasts are dense, with thick tissue that studies show is more likely to harbour tumours. She's anxious for an alternative to mammograms.

"There's a fear factor when you walk into a mammogram and you see this huge machine," she says.

That's why she's one of many volunteers testing another Canadian developed scanning system. It's called transillumination spectroscopy, a light scan to determine a woman's risk of breast cancer.

"It's non invasive and it's fast and it doesn't take long. It's wonderful," says McDougall.

Scientists get a series of numbers telling them if a breast is dense or not. Early results suggest the results are as good as mammograms

"It will be a completely new level," says Logar Lilge, a researcher at Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto. "The test will be done prior to mammography, at much earlier ages."

All these technologies are still at the testing stages. But depending on the results, they may be just a few years away from general patient use.