October marks the annual Breast Cancer Awareness Month and I'm challenging every woman to Be Certain this year.
In addition to driving awareness around the importance of breast cancer, I'd like to encourage women to become aware of new secondary imaging options for breast cancer screening beyond mammography or ultrasound, particularly for women who have a higher risk of breast cancer. Molecular Breast Imaging, known as MBI, is one such option that may be the right choice for patients to receive in addition to screening mammograms.
Dense breast tissue accounts for fifty percent of the women in the U.S. As density and cancer appear the same on a mammogram and tomosynthesis (3D mammography), it's difficult, if not impossible, to distinguish between the two. MBI is a highly sensitive and specific radiological exam which is especially effective for these women with dense breast tissue. It's a functional imaging modality that is not impacted by density and therefore has been proven to detect more early stage invasive cancers than any other modality routinely used today. The procedure is simple, safe, fast and extremely effective. During the exam, the patient is positioned in the same manner as she would with a standard mammogram but with less compression and discomfort. As cancer cells are more metabolically active, the functional imaging modality highlights any increased activity in the breast regardless of tissue density. As a secondary screening or diagnostic tool, MBI has distinct advantages over the existing diagnostic technologies.
Typically, two views of each breast are taken, just as with a mammogram. These are processed immediately. The MBI can be read by the radiologist within minutes alongside the patient's mammography images. Patients should expect to be informed of the findings prior to leaving the clinic. The sample images below compare patient mammograms, which were initially read as negative for cancer, compared to MBI images:
A recent published retrospective clinical study by Dr. Robin Shermis, director of radiology at ProMedica Breast Center (published in the 2016 August issue of The American Journal of Roentgenology) confirmed MBI's high cancer detection rate in dense breast tissue following cancer-negative mammograms. In the study, 1,696 women with dense breast tissue underwent MBI exams. A significantly higher incremental detection rate of almost eight cancers per 1,000 patients was reported, as well as a low biopsy rate compared to mammography, which reported approximately three cancers per 1,000 patients. This study complements an earlier prospective study (authored by the Mayo Clinic last year in the same journal) confirming MBI increases the invasive cancer detection rate by nearly 400 percent in women with dense breast tissue, when used as a secondary screening modality.
A recent NBC Nightly News segment highlighted Dr. Shermis's research, and featured a MBI patient who states that if she had relied on a mammogram rather than MBI, she likely wouldn't have known she had stage three breast cancer. The segment also cites the Mayo Clinic's research findings that MBI is nearly four times better at finding invasive cancer in patients with dense breast tissue.
Breast cancer is a reality for all of us: there are more than 40,000 annual breast cancer deaths in the U.S. alone. It's clear that patients need to be more informed about their breast tissue density and ensure they are equipped with the facts when deciding on a secondary screening method.
Countless women have learned this the hard way, including Toledo, Ohio wife and mother, Dianne Anderson, who has dense breast tissue. Thankfully, Dianne is a patient of Dr. Shermis and as a MBI champion, he knew the risks in taking a mammogram at face value after her 2012 annual mammogram indicated that she had healthy breast tissue. After undergoing a MBI screening, it was apparent that her dense breast tissue had concealed a stage two cancerous tumor in her breast.
Although the results were devastating, Dianne considered the information and technology empowering. Since the cancer was detected at an early stage, it enabled her team of doctors to have the best possible chance of helping her fight and ultimately beat the disease. Today, Dianne stands a breast cancer survivor and attributes this achievement to her swift and early detection made possible through MBI.
The conversation is currently evolving with the understanding that breast cancer can be detected earlier with the application of personalized screening and diagnostic tools; the clinical evidence is compelling and is beginning to challenge the status quo.
I urge all women to talk to your doctor about breast density and learn more about MBI: every woman deserves to Be Certain about her breast health, not only around Breast Cancer Awareness month, but for the future.
Philip Croxford Bio:
Philip Croxford is the president and CEO of Gamma Medica, a provider of a unique molecular breast imaging technology that is designed for early detection of breast cancer in women who have dense breast tissue. He led Gamma Medica to launch the educational Be Certain campaign, which aims to give physicians and women access to the most accurate clinical information on breast density and breast cancer detection. Prior to his many years as a business leader in the health care field, experienced working in European social and USA healthcare, as well as being a registered pharmacist in the UK.
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