Molecular Breast Imaging Is Superior to Ultrasound and Mammography for the Detection of Breast Cancer

NEWPORT NEWS, Va., Feb. 14, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Dilon Diagnostics -- According to a new study published in the American Journal of Roentgenology (AJR) in January 2012, Molecular Breast Imaging (MBI), also known as Breast-Specific Gamma Imaging (BSGI), can detect cancers missed by the two most common breast imaging studies, mammography and ultrasound. BSGI had the highest overall sensitivity (91%) for breast cancer detection, significantly higher than that of mammography and ultrasound, 74% and 84% respectively. In addition, BSGI was more effective than ultrasound in contributing to patient management when the results of these studies changed the diagnosis provided by mammography.

In this multi-center study of 1042 patients at four institutions, BSGI had an outstanding overall sensitivity of 91% and negative predictive value (NPV) of 96%. The BSGI procedures were conducted with a high-resolution gamma camera, the Dilon 6800®. For patients who had adjunctive imaging procedures with results discordant from those for mammography, BSGI provided higher diagnostic accuracy than ultrasound (77% vs 35%). The group of patients with indeterminate mammograms (BI-RADS 0) received the greatest benefit from use of BSGI. For the BI-RADS 0 patients, BSGI was significantly more likely to contribute to patient management than ultrasound, it was less likely to be negative in cancerous lesions and was less likely to be positive in benign lesions. Interestingly 85% of the patients included in this study had dense breast tissue.

source: MarketWatch

Capital Health Will be First in U.S. to Offer GE Molecular Breast Imaging

HOPEWELL TOWNSHIP, N.J. & WAUKESHA, Wis., Jan 30, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Capital Health and GE Healthcare announced today the first Discovery* NM 750b was installed at Capital Health's New Jersey Hopewell medical center. Capital Health is a central New Jersey region leader in advanced medicine, with significant investments in advanced technologies and its medical staff.

"We are very pleased to offer women in our community this new, highly sophisticated, test that can help detect breast cancer at its earliest stages, which, as we all know, can be critical to the success of treatment," said Al Maghazehe, president and CEO of Capital Health. "We remain committed to bringing patients in this region the latest technological advances to enhance their healthcare options."

"This innovative technology overcomes some of the challenges we currently face with breast cancer detection, particularly in women with dense breast tissue, and allows us to offer our patients improved medical care," said Dr. Yaakov Applbaum, medical director of the Radiology Department at Capital Health. "It will also be useful in the early detection of breast cancer in women who are at a high risk for the disease."

source: Mrket Watch