Researchers from Dartmouth College have developed a new technology for diagnosing cancer in women with dense breasts, Newsmax Health reports.  

The new technique, which combines MRI scans with near-infrared spectroscopy, offers greater flexibility, speed, and accuracy than current breast imaging approaches, and allows radiologists to "see" tumors more clearly.

The development, reported in the journal Academic Radiology, could allow women with dense breasts who have inconclusive mammograms to undergo this new procedure before an invasive biopsy to look for tumors.

Biomedical engineers from the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth developed the new technology by designing a set of eight light-transmitting cables that can be adjusted to surround the breast with light tension. Eight women participated in a trial of the new design.