Breast-Specific Gamma Imaging (BSGI) Uncovers Additional Breast Cancer in Newly Diagnosed Breast Cancer Patients

NEWPORT NEWS, Va., Feb. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Women facing a recent breast cancer diagnosis may find additional cancer in the same or opposite breast with further testing using Breast-Specific Gamma Imaging (BSGI) according to a study published in the February 2009 "American Journal of Surgery." BSGI detected additional or more extensive breast cancer in the same or opposite breast in 10.9 percent of newly diagnosed patients according to the study.

BSGI, a molecular breast imaging technique, is a follow-up to mammography that can see lesions independent of tissue density and discover early stage cancers. With BSGI, the patient receives a pharmaceutical tracing agent that is absorbed by all the cells in the body. Due to their increased rate of metabolic activity, cancerous cells in the breast absorb a greater amount of the tracing agent than normal, healthy cells and generally appear as "hot spots" on the BSGI image. The Dilon 6800 Gamma Camera is a high-resolution, compact field-of-view gamma camera, optimized to perform BSGI.

source: PR Newswire