However, the potential of this technology is high. Therefore, it may become possible to provide women with data to time their pregnancy-making efforts. This hormonal sensitivity leads to a potential use for optical mammography in tracking response to hormonal replacement therapy and chemopreventive drugs. Another possible application is to monitor the effects of antiangiogenesis therapy, because optical mammography measures the amount of blood in tissue. One researcher stated that optical mammography could be an alternative to X-ray mammography for younger women, as it is better able to image dense breast tissue.
Some researchers are skeptical about their usefulness in a clinical setting.
However, the researchers building the next-generation optical machines envisage using optical technology as one part of breast imaging diagnosis. Probably optical mammography will not replace X-ray mammography or MRI but will complement them by providing data for differentiating malignant tumors from benign lesions. A link between autoimmune diseases and cancer has been suggested for many years. A registry linkage study stated that lupus patients have a twofold risk of cancer. A Chinese study found a 2.4-fold excess risk of cancer in patients with a history of autoimmune diseases.