Baylor Adds Naviscan PEM Technology to Women's Imaging Center

SAN DIEGO, Dec. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- The Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas has taken delivery of the Naviscan PEM scanner at its Darlene G. Cass Women's Imaging Center. Baylor will utilize PEM (Positron Emission Mammography) to complement their existing anatomical tools by providing a critical three-dimensional metabolic perspective of breast cancer. The metabolic view allows physicians to make the optimal cancer care decisions by providing an unprecedented ability to distinguish between benign and malignant lesions in what researchers call "specificity". A recent multi-center NIH-sponsored study comparing PEM and MRI highlighted that PEM had improved specificity relative to MRI at comparable sensitivity, what researchers use to describe the ability to see lesions.

The Darlene G. Cass Women's Imaging Center has been a leader in breast imaging services in the Dallas area for more than 20 years, performing more than 50,000 breast imaging procedures annually. The Women's Imaging Center, which is fully accredited in mammography, stereotactic breast biopsy, breast ultrasound and ultrasound-guided breast biopsy, now adds PEM to its imaging services.

source: Naviscan

How Do You Improve Mammogram Accuracy? Add Noise

Members of a Syracuse University research team have shown that an obscure phenomenon called stochastic resonance (SR) can improve the clarity of signals in systems such as radar, sonar and even radiography, used in medical clinics to detect signs of breast cancer. It does this by adding carefully selected noise to the system.

The result has been a distinct improvement in the system's ability to correctly identify precancerous lesions, plus a 36 percent reduction in false positives. The inventors have developed a novel method of calculating precisely the correct type and level of noise to add to existing noise in radiography or a similar system.

source: Medical News Today

Elevated-Risk Women Refuse MRI Breast Cancer Screening

ScienceDaily (Dec. 22, 2009) — In a new study published in the January issue of Radiology, 42 percent of women eligible for breast cancer screening with MRI declined to undergo the procedure.

"Given that MRI is promoted as a very sensitive test to identify early breast cancer, we were surprised that barely half of women at increased risk for breast cancer would undergo MRI even when offered at no cost," said Wendie A. Berg, M.D., Ph.D., breast imaging specialist at American Radiology Services, Johns Hopkins -- Green Spring Station in Lutherville, Md. "This suggests the need for alternative methods, such as ultrasound, to help screen women at increased risk for breast cancer."

Some groups of women who are at high risk for breast cancer need to begin screening at a younger age, because they often develop cancer earlier than women at average risk. However, women below age 50 are more likely to have dense breast tissue, which can limit the effectiveness of mammography as a screening tool.

source: Science Daiy release

Dilon Diagnostics Gamma-Guided Localization System Cleared by FDA

GammaLoc(R) Helps Locate Breast Lesions Quickly and Accurately for Biopsy

NEWPORT NEWS, Va., Dec. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Dilon Diagnostics announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted 510(k) clearance for its lesion-localization system for molecular imaging biopsy guidance.

GammaLoc(®), pronounced "gamma-loke", is a complementary technology to Dilon's cornerstone product, the Dilon 6800(®) Gamma Camera. The GammaLoc(®) (GL) system will help doctors accurately locate breast lesions and enable gamma-guided biopsies, particularly useful for patients that have findings on the Dilon system that are not revealed with other imaging modalities.

The GammaLoc(® )system utilizes a CorreLocator(TM) paddle and a StereoView(TM) imaging collimator system - a technique similar to that used in stereotactic X-ray localization, and the GammaLoc(®) software calculates the specific location of the suspect lesion. The compact design allows for breast biopsies with optimal patient comfort; and the entire system is small and portable, allowing physicians to perform molecular imaging guided biopsy procedures anywhere on site.

"Thanks to the superior performance of the Dilon 6800 camera combined with this new biopsy-guidance capability, physicians will find it easier to locate suspicious lesions seen with molecular breast imaging, greatly facilitating and expediting the biopsy process," said Robert Moussa, President and CEO of Dilon Diagnostics. "This recent innovation helps physicians improve patient management and confidently deliver faster, more accurate results to their anxious patients."

source: PR Newswire

Mammography Use and False Positives Among Women Younger Than 40 Years Old Differ Between Minority Populations

HOUSTON - Breast cancer screening guidelines generally recommend mammography begin at age 40. However, based on prior national research, an estimated 34 percent of non-Hispanic black women, 30 percent of non-Hispanic white women and 22 percent of Hispanic women aged 30 to 39 have reported having a mammogram.

"Our goals are to better understand who these women are that are getting mammograms at such a young age and their outcomes," said Julie M. Kapp, Ph.D., M.P.H., assistant professor at the University of Missouri-Columbia and lead author of the study, who presented the data at the American Association for Cancer Research Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research Conference, Dec. 6-9 in Houston.

Through the NCI Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium, the researchers examined the first mammograms of women aged 18 to 39 with no prior history of breast cancer. The sample included 99,615 mammograms.

Even though the risk of developing breast cancer before age 40 is lower than 1 percent, research showed that the majority of first mammograms in this study were for screening purposes, rather than evaluation of a breast problem. Screening mammograms ranged from 69 percent among black women to 81 percent among Asian women.

source: AACR

New FDA Approved Breast Cancer Screening Tool

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Dec. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- The FDA has approved new technology that now allows radiologists to detect breast cancer sooner and faster. The SonoCine Automated Whole-breast Ultrasound Method and is being offered by only one facility in Arizona - Arizona Breastnet, in Scottsdale. This unique technology is designed specifically as a breast cancer screening tool to enhance yearly mammography screening. Until now, ultrasound has only been used for diagnostic purposes - not for screening for breast cancer.

A new study, published in European Radiology, found that adding the SonoCine automated whole-breast ultrasound exam to the annual mammogram doubled the number of cancers found in a group representing approximately 40% of all women seeking annual mammograms. This contrasts with previous studies which have examined the use of additional tests only on women with significantly elevated risks of developing breast cancer.

Local radiologist, Belinda Barclay-White, MD, is the first physician to offer this technology in Arizona, and has already experienced its powerful capabilities.

According to Dr. Barclay-White, "87% of all breast cancers are found in women who have none of the traditional risk factors, such as family history. There have been many studies done on women with the BRAC1 and BRAC2 breast cancer gene and other risk factors, but not much is being done for relatively normal women for whom the mammogram does not always provide a complete picture."

source: PR Newswire

Philips Introduces Multi-modality Breast Workspace to Complement Comprehensive Portfolio of Diagnostic Imaging Solutions for Breast Care

Chicago, USA – At this year’s annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), Royal Philips Electronics (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHI) will introduce the Integral Breast Workspace, a set of solutions that provides radiologists the ability to review multi-modality breast images at one workspot to help drive quality and efficiency. Showcasing its commitment to breast care, Philips will also highlight new capabilities for its portfolio of diagnostic imaging systems in Mammography, Ultrasound and MRI.

Globally, breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among women. New guidelines suggest a multi-modality approach to screening, diagnosis and management. With an increasing number of patients and the need to review data from multiple modalities, radiologists are challenged with keeping up with the volume of studies that must be interpreted and reported on multiple workstations. Philips Integral Breast Workspace addresses this need for integrated image and information management.

"Think of all the duplicate work we currently do with all the separate systems," said Gillian Newstead, M.D., director of Clinical Breast Imaging at the University of Chicago. "Integration will save us a lot of time. And, at the same time it connects to better care for the patients by more accurately relating findings from the different modalities."

source: Philips Healthcare