11.30.2009

Elastography Reduces Unnecessary Breast Biopsies

Elastography is an effective, convenient technique that, when added to breast ultrasound, helps distinguish cancerous breast lesions from benign results, according to an ongoing study presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

When mammography yields suspicious findings, physicians often use ultrasound to obtain additional information. However, ultrasound has the potential to result in more biopsies because of its relatively low specificity, or inability to accurately distinguish cancerous lesions from benign ones. Approximately 80 percent of breast lesions biopsied turn out to be benign, according to the American Cancer Society.

source: Medical News Today

11.23.2009

Short-Term Follow-Up: A Reasonable Alternative to Immediate Biopsy of Palpable Breast Lesions With Benign Imaging Features

Short-term follow-up is a reasonable alternative to invasive biopsy of palpable (capable of being touched or felt) breast lesions with benign imaging features, particularly in younger women with probable fibroadenoma (non-cancerous tumors that often occur in women during their reproductive years), according to a study published in the December issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology.

The study, performed at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Va., consisted of a group of 320 women with 375 palpable masses with benign features for which short-term follow-up was recommended. “We found that only one case of cancer was diagnosed for which short-term follow-up had been recommended,” said Jennifer A. Harvey, M.D., lead author of the study.

“Our study of palpable breast lesions with benign features showed an acceptably low prevalence of breast cancer - so low that short-term follow-up is a reasonable alternative to biopsy,” said Harvey.

“Application of the results of our study may reduce the number of biopsies that result in benign findings. There is also significant cost savings associated with using short-term follow-up rather than immediate biopsy,” she said.

source: American Roentgen Ray Society

11.20.2009

Esteemed Endorsements Recognize Promising Future Of Breast-Specific Gamma Imaging (BSGI)

Breast-Specific Gamma Imaging/Molecular Breast Imaging (BSGI/MBI) has been recognized and endorsed by two highly esteemed organizations for the fight against breast cancer: The Society of Breast Imaging (SBI) and the American College of Surgeons. Both societies published articles supporting the further application of this breakthrough imaging technology for the early detection of breast cancer.

"These endorsements reinforce what I have found to be true in my own center: BSGI performs better than MRI in many patient cases," Christine B. Teal, M.D., F.A.C.S. Director, Breast Care Center, The George Washington University Medical Faculty Associates. "BSGI is more sensitive and specific, and it costs less than MRI. We are a big supporter of BSGI in our breast center and use it routinely for the surgical planning for newly diagnosed breast cancer patients, as well as for screening of high risk patients."


source: Medical News Today

11.19.2009

AMICAS PACS For Mammography at RSNA 2009

BOSTON, Nov. 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- AMICAS, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMCS), a leader in image and information management solutions, today announced that it will showcase the intrinsic mammography capabilities of AMICAS PACS™ at the 2009 Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) annual meeting from November 29 to December 4 in Chicago, IL. AMICAS will be in the North Hall in booth #7124.

AMICAS PACS Version 6.0 delivers intrinsic mammography workflow and visualization tools, which helps drive a solid return on investment and increased productivity for radiologists. With intrinsic mammography and high-end tools for reading all radiology studies, AMICAS PACS provides for all of a radiologist's needs in a single, Web-based workstation.

"When AMICAS was developing its intrinsic mammography capabilities, they reached out to me - and other radiologists - to ensure that their radiology PACS fits into the real world of mammography," said Randy Hicks MD, radiologist and owner of Regional Medical Imaging of Flint, MI. "AMICAS actively solicits feedback from practicing radiologists, and I have found that this collaborative process delivers a superior PACS solution for my practice."

source: AMICAS

11.18.2009

USPSTF Mammography Recommendations Will Result In Countless Unnecessary Breast Cancer Deaths Each Year

If cost-cutting U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) mammography recommendations are adopted as policy, two decades of decline in breast cancer mortality could be reversed and countless American women may die needlessly from breast cancer each year. The recommendations - created by a federal government-funded committee with no medical imaging representation - would advise against regular mammography screening for women 40-49 years of age, provide mammograms only every other year for women between 50 and 74, and stop all breast cancer screening in women over 74.

"These unfounded USPSTF recommendations ignore the valid scientific data and place a great many women at risk of dying unnecessarily from a disease that we have made significant headway against over the past 20 years. Mammography is not a perfect test, but it has unquestionably been shown to save lives - including in women aged 40-49. These new recommendations seem to reflect a conscious decision to ration care. If Medicare and private insurers adopt these incredibly flawed USPSTF recommendations as a rationale for refusing women coverage of these life-saving exams, it could have deadly effects for American women," said Carol H. Lee, M.D., chair of the American College of Radiology Breast Imaging Commission.

Since the onset of regular mammography screening in 1990, the mortality rate from breast cancer, which had been unchanged for the preceding 50 years, has decreased by 30 percent. Ignoring direct scientific evidence from large clinical trials, the USPSTF based their recommendations to reduce breast cancer screening on conflicting computer models and the unsupported and discredited idea that the parameters of mammography screening change abruptly at age 50. In truth, there are no data to support this premise.

source: American College of Radiology

11.17.2009

Karmanos Cancer Institute Launches Company and Innovative Breast Imaging Tool

DETROIT, Nov. 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- After more than 10 years of research and development, the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute announced its launch of a new company to build and market a breast cancer screening device invented at Karmanos. The innovative technology developed as C.U.R.E. (Computerized Ultrasound Risk Evaluation), now referred to as SoftVue, will be marketed under the new spin-off company called Delphinus Medical Technologies, LLC. The company has already secured sale commitments for the SoftVue system from several health institutions nationally and internationally.

More than 300 women were involved in the initial clinical studies, which confirmed that SoftVue accurately and safely identifies breast cancer. SoftVue uses multi-parametric ultrasound and sophisticated computer algorithms rather than X-rays. The SoftVue exam takes about one minute, does not involve radiation or compression as the current mammography, and is a fraction of the cost of MRI (magnetic resonance imaging). It's believed that it will help reduce the number of false positives that can occur with mammography and thereby reduce unnecessary biopsies.

source: PR Newswire

11.16.2009

Less is more in new breast-cancer screening recommendations

The long-standing recommendation that women age 40 and older at average risk of breast cancer get annual mammograms and the notion that women benefit from doing breast self-examination at home is being turned on its head. In a nod to the risks of false positives and unnecessary procedures that mammograms can generate, especially in younger women, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force issued new guidelines this week saying women in their 40s who have average risk generally don’t need regular screening and that women 50 to 74 should cut back and get mammograms no more than once every two years. The group calls for a more individualized approach in deciding whether regular mammograms are warranted in cases that don’t involve a family history of the disease or genetic biomarkers that raise a woman’s risk for it.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force is an independent, nongovernmental body. Its new recommendations are at odds with those of other high-profile groups such as the American Cancer Society, which stands by its guidance that women in their 40s receive regular mammograms, and could affect the way private insurers and Medicare cover such screenings.

source: MarketWatch

11.13.2009

AMICAS PACS For Mammography at RSNA 2009

BOSTON, Nov. 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- AMICAS, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMCS), a leader in image and information management solutions, today announced that it will showcase the intrinsic mammography capabilities of AMICAS PACS™ at the 2009 Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) annual meeting from November 29 to December 4 in Chicago, IL. AMICAS will be in the North Hall in booth #7124.

AMICAS PACS Version 6.0 delivers intrinsic mammography workflow and visualization tools, which helps drive a solid return on investment and increased productivity for radiologists. With intrinsic mammography and high-end tools for reading all radiology studies, AMICAS PACS provides for all of a radiologist's needs in a single, Web-based workstation.

"When AMICAS was developing its intrinsic mammography capabilities, they reached out to me - and other radiologists - to ensure that their radiology PACS fits into the real world of mammography," said Randy Hicks MD, radiologist and owner of Regional Medical Imaging of Flint, MI. "AMICAS actively solicits feedback from practicing radiologists, and I have found that this collaborative process delivers a superior PACS solution for my practice."

"My practice is an ACR-certified Breast Imaging Center of Excellence, so it is important to me to be able to perform all of my reads - including digital mammography, breast MRI, breast ultrasound, BSGI, and all of my multi-modality breast biopsy images - on a single PACS workstation," said Dr. Hicks. "AMICAS has delivered a solution that improves my productivity and allows me to avoid expensive standalone workstations."

source: AMICAS

11.09.2009

Study Finds Higher Risk Of Cancer Recurrence In Women With Dense Breasts

A new study finds that women treated for breast cancer are at higher risk of cancer recurrence if they have dense breasts. Published in the December 15, 2009 issue of Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the study's results indicate that breast cancer patients with dense breasts may benefit from additional therapies following surgery, such as radiation.

Previous studies indicate that women with dense breast tissue are at increased risk of breast cancer. Researchers have suspected that high breast density may also increase the risk of cancer recurrence after lumpectomy, but this theory has not been thoroughly studied.

source: Medical News Today

11.01.2009

High-Resolution Breast PET Improves Breast Cancer Detection

An NIH-sponsored, multi-year study of hundreds of women diagnosed with breast cancer found that Positron Emission Mammography (PEM) scanners significantly outperform MRI when differentiating between benign and cancerous lesions. The prospective study also found that the combination of PEM and breast MRI dramatically increases a physician's ability to detect potentially cancerous lesions over MRI alone, presenting a powerful combination for improving care. The findings released today mean that women and their physicians now have a better tool to help cure cancer.

PEM scanners are high-resolution breast PET systems that can show the location as well as the metabolic phase of a lesion. This information is critical in determining whether a lesion is malignant and influences the course of treatment. Other imaging systems, such as mammography and ultrasound, only show the location, not the metabolic phase. PEM scanners, which are about the size of an ultrasound system, are made in San Diego by Naviscan, Inc. and have been commercially available since 2007.

The NIH study examined 388 women with newly-diagnosed breast cancers, and unlike previous studies on primary lesions, focused on additional or secondary tumors. Understanding the presence of additional tumors is critical to understanding if a lumpectomy or mastectomy is the right surgery. Researchers found that PEM scans accurately distinguished 151 of 189 benign additional lesions, an 80% success rate in what researchers call "specificity." When the same lesions were subject to MRI scans, the specificity dropped to just 66%.

source: NaviScan