Mammography Utilization in the United States Decreases: A State-Level Look

Nearly two thirds of the states in the US saw a small decrease in mammography utilization between the years 2000 and 2006, according to a study performed at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, GA.

Data showed that although mammography use in 17 states including Minnesota, Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama had increased slightly between 2002 and 2006, mammography use in 34 states and the District of Columbia including Utah, South Carolina, New Mexico and Delaware had a slight decrease. The decrease in utilization ranged from -0.3% to -5.3%. The CDC also reviewed incidence rates and found that between 2000 and 2004 all but one state (Tennessee) had a decrease in breast cancer incidence rates. There was no clear pattern among the states though in regards to region, average age, average income or population density.

“The Government Accountability Office reported that there was a 6% decrease in mammography facilities use across the US, but despite their report there is a growing concern that this rate in low resource areas could be higher,” said Jacqueline Miller, MD, lead author of the study.

source: ARRS

New Technique Predicts Breast Cancer Chemtherapy Effectiveness

Atlanta (February 2, 2009) —Chemotherapy is an integral part of modern cancer treatment, but it’s not always effective. Successful chemotherapy depends on the ability of anticancer drugs to escape from the bloodstream through the leaky blood vessels that often surround tumors.

Predicting chemotherapy’s efficacy could save thousands of individuals from unnecessary toxicity and the often difficult side effects of the treatments

In a study published in the February issue of the journal Radiology, researchers describe a technique for determining the “leakiness” of tumor blood vessels using a simple digital mammography unit. The researchers designed nanometer-sized capsules containing a contrast agent that could only leak into tumors with blood vessels that were growing and therefore leaky. The digital mammography-based quantification of “leakiness” is closely correlated to the ability of a clinically approved chemotherapy agent to enter the tumor, allowing the researchers to predict the agent’s therapeutic efficacy.

source: Georgia Institute of Technology (News Release)

At NCBC, DR Systems to Exhibit Market-Leading Integration of PACS with Digital Mammography

DR Systems will exhibit its market-leading integration of PACS and digital mammography, during the upcoming National Consortium of Breast Centers’ (NCBC) 19th annual conference.

DR Systems will be in Booth 53 during the conference, which runs from Mar. 15-18 at Planet Hollywood, in Las Vegas.

The breast imaging, reporting and tracking functions of DR Systems’ Unity™ RIS/PACS are now successfully operating at 30 customer sites. The system is providing a comprehensive solution for full-field digital mammography (FFDM), third-party CAD, breast MRI and ultrasound, and breast reporting with automated regulatory compliance, including MQSA.

Exams from all modalities, including digitized prior film-based mammograms, can be read and compared on the same workstation. The system is designed to support all imaging and information from the Unity System.

This approach avoids many problems encountered by early adopters of FFDM that purchased dedicated standalone workstations. These facilities have discovered their setup has compounded inefficiencies by creating isolated islands of information separate from their PACS infrastructure.

press release: DR Systems

An Individualized Approach to Breast Cancer Treatment

Not all breast cancers are the same, and not all will have fatal consequences. But because clinicians find it difficult to accurately determine which tumors will metastasize, many patients do not receive the therapy fits their disease.

Tel Aviv University has now refined breast cancer identification so that each course of treatment is as individual as the woman being treated.

The new approach -- based on a combination of MRI and ultrasound -- is able to measure the metabolism rates of cancer cells. The approach helps determine at an earlier stage than ever before which cells are metastasizing, and how they should be treated.

The method, expected to start clinical trials in 2010, is currently being researched in Israel hospitals.

source: Tel Aviv University

Cutting-edge cancer technology comes to Ontario

CTV.ca News Staff

A major worldwide healthcare technology developer has chosen to test out some cutting-edge breast cancer detection technology on patients receiving care at an Ontario hospital.

It was announced Friday morning that GE Healthcare will test various molecular breast imaging probe prototypes at Henderson General Hospital in Hamilton, about 70 kilometres outside of Toronto.

The technology the company will be testing seeks to detect small tumours in women's breasts that are not found as easily through conventional mammography. The goal is to locate such tumours in their very earliest stages, so that treatment can be administered to patients as early as possible.

source: CTV.ca

Siemens, U-Systems Announce Licensing Agreement on Automated Breast Ultrasound Workstation

Mountain View, Calif., January 16, 2009 – Siemens Healthcare and U-Systems, Inc., today announced a technology licensing agreement for U-Systems’ somo•VIEWer™* advanced workstation for Automated Breast Ultrasound for use with Siemens’ ACUSON S2000™ Automated Breast Volume Scanner (ABVS), which recently received FDA 510 (k) clearance. This will allow physicians to obtain the comprehensive 3D view of the breast with the intuitive anatomical coronal plane not available with conventional ultrasound systems. The agreement will facilitate the adoption of Automated Breast Volume Ultrasound for women’s healthcare providers.

ABVS can make a significant contribution in diagnostic confidence for women with dense breast tissue and inconclusive mammograms. The coronal view provided by the somo•VIEWer workstation offers a more understandable representation of the global anatomy and architecture of the breast, which will ultimately improve patient care and increase clinical workflow.

source: Siemens Medical

Carestream Health Installs 2000th CR System With Digital Mammography Feature

ROCHESTER, N.Y., Jan. 15 — Carestream Health, Inc., installed its two thousandth high-resolution CR system for mammography at the Rechts der Isar Clinic in Munich, Germany.

CR EliteThe company’s KODAK DIRECTVIEW CR Mammography Feature—which enables mammography images to be captured digitally while utilizing a healthcare provider’s existing mammography x-ray unit and workflow processes—is intended for use in the same clinical and screening applications as traditional screen-film based mammography systems.

The Munich University Rechts der Isar Clinic, with its specialized team of physicians dedicated to mammography, installed a new multi-plate KODAK DIRECTVIEW CR 975 System with Mammography Feature in November. The clinic is part of the Institute for X-ray Diagnosis of the University of Munich, which performs more than 100,000 medical procedures each year and features a fully digital environment.

source: Carestream Health

FDA Scientists Request Investigation Into Agency Approval Of Breast Imaging Device

Scientists at FDA have requested that Congress and President-elect Obama investigate their allegations that an FDA official approved the sale of a breast cancer imaging device over the objections of the front-line scientists after receiving a phone call from a Connecticut congressman, according to the New York Times. The Times reports that the call from the congressman and its "effect on what is supposed to be a science-based approval process" represent "only one of many accusations in a trove of documents" the newspaper received regarding disputes within the FDA Office of Device Evaluation.

According to the Times, the documents show through e-mail correspondence that top agency scientists allege that an agency supervisor inappropriately forced them to modify reviews of the iCAD SecondLook Digital Computer-Aided Detection System for Mammography -- a computer device to assist in the detection of breast tumors -- after former Rep. Christopher Shays (R-Conn.) called an agency supervisor a few years ago to voice concerns about the future of the device. According to the Times, the device is used with screening equipment made by Fujifilm Medical Systems, which is based in Shays' former district. According to the FDA documents, the nine scientists involved with the iCAD decision said that the company "never tested the device by the intended users (i.e. radiologists) under the intended conditions of use. This is the most basic and fundamental requirement of all FDA submissions." The risks of iCAD include missed cancers, "unnecessary biopsy or even surgery (by placing false positive marks) and unnecessary additional radiation," according to an internal review.

source: Medical News Today

iCAD announces availability of its SecondLook Digital with Planmed Nuance Full Field Digital Mammography Systems outside of U.S.

iCAD®, Inc. (Nasdaq: ICAD), an industry-leading provider of Computer-Aided Detection (CAD) solutions, today announced that its SecondLook® Digital CAD technology customized for use with the Planmed Nuance FFDM system is now available outside of the U.S.

"When analyzing iCAD´s SecondLook Digital CAD with Planmed Nuance Full Field Digital Mammography unit using selenium flat panel detector, it was found
that the true positive findings detected at double reading of screening mammograms, were also marked accurately by CAD," said Dr. Martti Pamilo from Terveystalo, the leading private healthcare provider in Finland.

"We are excited to see the results of the iCAD´s SecondLook Digital CAD integration to the Nuance FFDM system," said Vesa Mattila, Vice President of Planmed. "As CAD is becoming widely accepted in Europe, iCAD's technology is an important addition to Planmed's digital mammography systems and solutions."

source: PR-Inside

Interpretation Time for Screening Digital Mammograms: Is it Efficient?

Digital mammograms take longer to interpret than film-screen mammograms, according to a study performed at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas.

The study included four radiologists who interpreted 268 digital screening mammograms and 189 film-screening mammograms. “The average interpretation time for all of our readers was 240 seconds (4 minutes) for digital screening mammograms and 127 seconds (2 minutes, 7 seconds) for film-screen screening mammograms,” said Tamara Miner Haygood, MD, lead author of the study. “The digital screening mammograms took nearly twice as long to interpret as the film-screen screening mammograms,” said Dr. Haygood.

The study identified factors that might have contributed to the difference in time. “Those factors were the identity of the interpreting radiologist, whether there were older studies available for comparison, whether the radiologist looked for and hung up additional films, how many images were obtained and whether the study was normal or not. In each of these situations, the digital images took longer to interpret than the film-screen images,” said Dr. Haygood.

source: ARRS

ACS Guidelines for Breast Screening with MRI May Be Excluding Some High-risk Women

The American Cancer Society (ACS) has developed a set of guidelines to recommend which high-risk women need to undergo screening with breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI); however, these guidelines may unwittingly exclude some women who are at a high risk of carrying the BRCA mutation yet still don’t meet the limitations set by the ACS. The results of this study were published in the journal Cancer.[1]

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women in the United States, with approximately 180,000 cases diagnosed each year. Women with a family history of breast cancer are at an increased lifetime risk of developing the disease, as are women who carry a BRCA mutation. These women are encouraged to undergo more vigilant screening to allow for earlier detection and higher cure rates.

source: cancerconsultants.org

Medicare Rebate for Breast MRI (Australia)

A Medicare rebate for an MRI breast scan will be available to women under 50 at high risk of breast cancer and with no symptoms from 1 February 2009.

Being at high risk of breast cancer can cause significant anxiety. These scans can help reduce unnecessary concern, and help pick up breast cancer early.

The Australian Government is reducing the financial barrier of the cost of a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan to encourage these women in the high risk category to monitor their health.

Women at high risk of breast cancer include, for example, women with three or more close blood relatives diagnosed with breast or ovarian cancer.

Further details about the women eligible for this Medicare rebate will be available from 1 February 2009 on MBSonline at www.health.gov.au

source: Australian Givernment Dept.of Health

U-Systems, Inc. announces technology licensing agreement with Siemens Healthcare

San Jose, Calif. – December 22, 2008 – U-Systems, Inc., the
innovative leader in dedicated breast ultrasound systems, today
announced a technology licensing agreement with the Ultrasound
Business Unit of Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc., Mountain
View, California. The U-Systems’ somo•VIEWer™* advanced
workstation for Automated Breast Ultrasound has been licensed
for use with Siemens’ ACUSON S2000 Automated Breast Volume
Scanner (ABVS)** recently introduced at RSNA 2008. This will allow
physicians to obtain the comprehensive 3D view of the breast
volume which features U-Systems’ intuitive anatomical coronal
plane not available with conventional ultrasound systems.

"This license agreement will increase the adoption of Automated
Breast Ultrasound systems for women’s healthcare clinics wanting
the most advanced imaging technologies," said Ron Ho, President
and CEO of U-Systems. "Women’s healthcare and breast imaging is
strategic to both U-Systems and Siemens. We see significant
advantages in leveraging Siemens’ marketing and ultrasound
expertise with our advanced development competencies and look
forward to this partnership.”

source; U-Systems

iCAD announces availability of its SecondLook Digital with Planmed Nuance Full Field Digital Mammography Systems outside of U.S.

NASHUA, N.H., Dec 30, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- iCAD(R), Inc. , an industry-leading provider of Computer-Aided Detection (CAD) solutions, today announced that its SecondLook(R) Digital CAD technology customized for use with the Planmed Nuance FFDM system is now available outside of the U.S.

"When analyzing iCAD's SecondLook Digital CAD with Planmed Nuance Full Field Digital Mammography unit using selenium flat panel detector, it was found that the true positive findings detected at double reading of screening mammograms, were also marked accurately by CAD," said Dr. Martti Pamilo from Terveystalo, the leading private healthcare provider in Finland. "We are excited to see the results of the iCAD's SecondLook Digital CAD integration to the Nuance FFDM system," said Vesa Mattila, Vice President of Planmed. "As CAD is becoming widely accepted in Europe, iCAD's technology is an important addition to Planmed's digital mammography systems and solutions."

source: Marketwatch

Link Between Obesity and Breast Cancer in Postmenopausal Women Not Related to Frequency or Accuracy of Mammography

Researchers affiliated with the Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium in the United States have reported that patterns of mammography use and mammography accuracy are not the reason for higher rates of advanced breast cancer in obese postmenopausal women. The results of this study were published in the December 3, 2008 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.[1]

Approximately 200,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer every year in the United States. The majority of breast cancers are diagnosed among postmenopausal women. Previous research has indicated that postmenopausal women who are overweight or obese are at an increased risk of developing breast cancer.[2] Furthermore, being overweight or obese has been associated with larger tumor size and more advanced disease at diagnosis.[3]

source: CancerConsultants.com

U-Systems, Inc. Announces Technology Licensing Agreement with Siemens Healthcare

SAN JOSE, Calif., Dec 22, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- U-Systems, Inc., the innovative leader in dedicated breast ultrasound systems, today announced a technology licensing agreement with the Ultrasound Business Unit of Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc., Mountain View, California. The U-Systems' somo-VIEWer(TM)* advanced workstation for Automated Breast Ultrasound has been licensed for use with Siemens' ACUSON S2000 Automated Breast Volume Scanner (ABVS)** recently introduced at RSNA 2008. This will allow physicians to obtain the comprehensive 3D view of the breast volume which features U-Systems' intuitive anatomical coronal plane not available with conventional ultrasound systems.

"This license agreement will increase the adoption of Automated Breast Ultrasound systems for women's healthcare clinics wanting the most advanced imaging technologies," said Ron Ho, President and CEO of U-Systems. "Women's healthcare and breast imaging is strategic to both U-Systems and Siemens. We see significant advantages in leveraging Siemens' marketing and ultrasound expertise with our advanced development competencies and look forward to this partnership."

source: Marketwatch

Computer-Aided Mammography Finds More Cancer, More False Positives

Computer programs designed to help radiologists could identify more cases of breast cancer, but they might also increase the number of false positive results, which can lead to biopsies in healthy women, according to a recent systematic review.

Using computer-aided detection (CAD) mammography, “you do catch some cases that would have been missed if the mammogram had been read only by a single radiologist,” said review author Meredith Noble, a research analyst at ECRI Institute.
Amy Sutton

Typically, a radiologist examines a woman’s screening mammogram to check for signs of cancer. When using CAD with mammography, the radiologist still reads the mammogram, but a computer program also evaluates the mammogram and marks suspicious areas for the radiologist to review further.

Investigators led by Noble synthesized data from seven previously published studies of CAD mammography’s use in 392,015 healthy women with no lumps or other symptoms of breast cancer.

The current report, released this month, is an update of an earlier review also published by ECRI Institute, a nonprofit health services research agency that produces systematic evidence reviews on medical devices, drugs, biotechnologies and procedures.

source: Health Behavior News

New breast-imaging device Could be a safer alternative to conventional mammograms

The world's first radar breast imaging system developed at Bristol University that could revolutionise the way women are scanned for breast cancer, is being trialled at North Bristol NHS Trust (NBT).

Professor Alan Preece and Dr Ian Craddock from the University of Bristol have been working for a number of years to develop a breast-imaging device which uses radio waves and therefore has no radiation risk unlike conventional mammograms.

The team began developing and researching a prototype around five years ago and have received funding from organisations including the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), the trustees of the United Bristol Hospitals and the University of Bristol spin-out company, Micrima Ltd.

Dr Ian Craddock from the University's Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, said: "This new imaging technique works by transmitting radio waves of a very low energy and detecting reflected signals, it then uses these signals to make a 3D image of the breast. This is basically the same as any radar system, such as the radars used for air traffic control at our airports."

source: Top Cancer News

Women At High Risk Of Breast Cancer May Benefit From Alternating Mammography And MRI

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) alternated with mammography at six-month intervals can detect breast cancers not identified by mammography alone, a research team from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center will report at the 31st at the CRTC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.

MRI is known to be more sensitive in detecting breast cancers than mammography, with a 71 - 100 percent accuracy compared to a 16 - 40 percent accuracy for mammography. As a result, annual breast cancer screening for high-risk women now typically includes MRI along with mammography and a clinical breast exam.

source: Medical News Today

Mammography violations bring fines

The Nevada State Health Division has fined Desert Springs Hospital and Medical Center $1.14 million for more than 200 violations in its mammography department, including failing to document whether its mammogram system was operating as it should before some patient exams in 2007, health officials announced Wednesday.

Because of the violations, 92 patient records were missing, and the patients had to undergo additional screenings, the health division said.

The records in question, which Desert Springs officials said were misplaced, would have shown whether tests had been conducted to ensure the mammogram system was operating properly before the patients underwent mammograms, said Ed Sweeten, supervisor of the health division's Bureau of Health Quality and Compliance Radiological Health Section.

source: Las Vegas Review Journal

Cryoablation of Early Invasive Ductal Breast Cancer With MRI Confirmation Shows Promising Clinical Benefits

CHICAGO, Dec 05, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Early clinical experience with the FDA cleared Visica 2(TM) Treatment System from Sanarus Medical confirms the effectiveness of ultrasound guided cryoablation to completely eradicate small, unifocal Invasive Ductal Breast Cancer (IDC). Initial data from this multi-center study was presented at the 94th Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), November 29 - December 5, 2008.

The study, "New Findings on Contrast-enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging, the "Black Hole" and "Cryohalo" are Markers for the Efficacy of Ultrasound-guided Cryoablation of Small Unifocal Invasive Ductal Breast Cancer," presented by Gary Levine, MD, Director of Breast Imaging at Hoag Breast Care Center in Newport Beach, Calif., was designed to evaluate the ability of breast contrast enhanced MRI to assess the effectiveness of ultrasound guided cryoablation for the local treatment of small, unifocal IDC.

source: Marketwatch

Declining Mammography Rates Mean More Women May Discover Cancer at Later Stages

Newswise — Risks versus rewards: it’s a simple equation we often use in making decisions. For women considering mammography, the decision should be easy, according to Scott Woomer, M.D., breast radiologist and interventionalist on the medical staff at Baylor Regional Medical Center at Grapevine.

“When you consider an hour out of your day usually once a year, some possible discomfort and the relatively low cost of mammography compared to not finding breast cancer at an early stage—which could save your life—it’s just not worth putting it off,” said Dr. Woomer.

A 2007 report from the American Cancer Society, however, shows that more women are putting it off. Mammography rates appear to be stabilizing or slightly declining after increasing for more than a decade, according to the report. Dr. Woomer partially credits this decline to women’s fears that mammography is painful.

“We’ve got to do a better job showing the steps we’ve taken to make mammography more comfortable,” said Dr. Woomer.

source: Baylor Health System

Molecular Breast Imaging Identifies Occult Cancer

Breast-Specific Gamma Imaging (BSGI) is shown to be an effective method of identifying mammographically and clinically occult (hidden) breast cancer. BSGI is a molecular breast imaging technique that can see lesions independent of tissue density and discover very early stage cancers. According to findings presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) in this study of women where breast cancer was already suspected via mammogram or physical exam, BSGI identified additional suspicious lesions in 29 percent of the patients and found a previously unsuspected cancer in 9 percent of women.

"BSGI is an emerging technology that goes beyond mammography as an effective imaging procedure for early breast cancer detection," said Dr. Rachel Brem, Director of Breast Imaging and Intervention at George Washington University Medical Center in Washington, D.C., and Vice Chair of the Department of Radiology.

source: Dilon Technologies

Dual-Head Gamma Camera Significantly Increases Ability to Detect Breast Tumors Not Seen on Mammography

A dual-headed dedicated gamma camera used during molecular breast imaging (MBI) can accurately detect small breast tumors less than 2 cm in size, according to a study performed at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN.

One-hundred fifty patients who had suspicious lesions smaller than 2 cm in size were imaged using dual-head molecular breast imaging. “There were 128 cancers confirmed in 88 patients,” according to Carrie B. Hruska, MD, lead author of the study. “The sensitivity rate of dual-head MBI during the study was 90% (115/128)”, she said.

“Dual head MBI involves a very light, pain-free compression of the breast. Two views of each breast are performed, lasting for about 10 minutes per view,” said Dr. Hruska. “The patient receives an IV injection of a commonly used radiotracer and this tracer circulates throughout the body and is preferentially absorbed in the breast cancer,” she said.

source: ARRS.org

Breast Cancer in Men: Mammography and Sonography Findings

Mammography and sonography findings help doctors identify and appropriately treat breast cancer in men, according to a study performed at the University of Texas M.D. Cancer Center in Houston, TX.

Image findings from 57 male patients who were diagnosed with breast cancer were reviewed during the study. “The findings show that breast cancer in men most commonly presents itself as a mass with an irregular shape and spiculated (spiky or pointy) margins that may or may not have calcifications. Many men in the study, 47%, also had cancer which had spread to the armpit,” said Wei Tse Yang, MD, lead author of the study.

Male breast cancer accounts for less than 1% of all breast cancers and “a large number of men with breast cancer do not undergo imaging prior to treatment either because mammography is not heavily advertised in the male community or because men also may be socially conscious about that part of their anatomy,” said Dr. Yang. “Almost 100% of men with breast cancer have a lump they can feel. Men should consult their physician and seek treatment as early as possible when a new mass presents itself in the breast,” she said.

source:ARRS