MRI offers unequalled sensitivity and specificity in breast cancer detection. Yet, it is poorly accepted preoperatively. Recently, eminent radiologist Francesco Sardanelli, professor for radiology at Milan University and Chief of Radiology at the IRCCS Policlinico San Donato in Italy, unveiled preliminary results that could further MRI acceptance among multidisciplinary teams.
After screening 15 000 women over a period of five years, a major clinical study in Sweden has shown that 3D mammography, or breast tomosynthesis, detects over 30% more cancers compared to traditional mammography – with a majority of the detected tumours proving to be invasive cancers.
Tomosynthesis is under international review, with a surprising number of enticing studies carried out in Northern European countries, among them one headed by Professor Sophia Zackrisson at Lund University, Sweden. In our interview, she not only revealed surprising trial results, but also shared her thoughts on practical implementation and unusual speed-reading methods. ‘Our institute’s…
Enhancing the diagnosis of breast cancer is the stated goal of a research team at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) in Heidelberg. The scientists have combined an advanced method of diffusion-weighted MR imaging with intelligent image analysis methods to detect malignant changes in tissues. This method may help avoid many control biopsies following suspicious findings from mammography…
Contrast-enhanced digital mammography is comparable to breast MRI in evaluating residual breast cancer after neoadjuvant endocrine therapy or chemotherapy, according to the results of a study presented by Mayo Clinic researchers at the 2017 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. “Our study aimed to compare contrast-enhanced mammography with breast MRI in evaluating residual breast cancer in…
The use of deep learning (DL) technology could help radiologists increase the quality of breast cancer screening programs, lower costs, and reduce the variability in the cancer detection process. And the role of DL technology in imaging doesn't stop there. In fact, it is likely that DL computers can be trained to read mammograms as well as radiologists and — in the future — maybe even…
Breast diagnostics are undergoing considerable change, with new technology facilitating alternative procedures. Genetics and nuclear medicine also enhance diagnostic possibilities. During our EH interview, Professor Rüdiger Schulz-Wendtland described current changes in breast diagnostics. ‘To date, complementary breast diagnostics has comprised clinical, sonographic and mammographic…
‘Clinicians across Europe have made clear their desire for breast cancer screening technology that offers improved accuracy, clarity and workflow, and the 3Dimensions system addresses each of those specific areas,’ Hologic’s Jan Verstreken, Regional President for EMEA and Canada, pointed out during the launch of the new system. This is the latest in the firm’s breast cancer screening,…
Hologic, Inc. announced that the 3Dimensions mammography system, the fastest, highest resolution breast tomosynthesis system ever, is available for purchase in Europe.
The European Society of Breast Imaging (ESOBI) promotes high quality breast imaging across Europe by developing education and training, encouraging research and promoting guidelines and standards. This year’s meeting (23-24 September) was held in collaboration with the French Society La Société d’Imagerie de la Femme (SIFEM) and drew around 600 radiologists. The event included a two-day…
Biannual mammography can help to reduce breast cancer mortality by 40% in women aged 50-69, but the benefits for women under 35 years old are questionable, eminent Spanish radiologists highlighted during a session held by SERAM, their national society of radiology, last November, during the International Radiology Day.
The University of Southern California (USC) Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center is actively recruiting for a clinical trial that is researching the effectiveness of a breath test for breast cancer diagnostics. The BreathLink device, manufactured by Menssana Research, Inc., captures a two-minute sample of a patient’s breath and provides immediate results on whether there are indications of breast…
Breast cancer continues to be one of the biggest killers of women globally. Worldwide it is estimated that around 522,000 women died from breast cancer in 2012. This is despite the fact that if a cancer is detected at less than 1cm in size with no lymph involvement survival rates at 5 years are comparable with someone who has not had cancer.
It is well known that, due to the inherently low efficiency of the X-ray generation physical process, operating an x-ray equipment involves sending significant amounts of electrical energy to the X-ray generating element, the X-ray tube. While a small fraction of this energy is converted to X-rays, the remaining turns into heat that must be removed from the unit to allow further operation…
Starting immediately, Sectra and private care provider Unilabs will offer preventive bone health testing for individuals with risk factors for osteoporosis, thereby enabling measures to be taken to reduce the risk of fractures. The analysis technology to be used by Unilabs will be provided by Sectra. One in two women in Sweden will suffer from a fracture due to osteoporosis, making osteoporosis…
Breast tomosynthesis imaging, Hologic calls it 3-D mammography, is proving to be the best modality to image breast cancer. ‘The Hologic tomosynthesis system has demonstrated superior clinical performance to conventional 2-D mammography in a number of metrics, in particular showing improved detection of invasive cancers and reductions in recall rate,’ the manufacturer reports, adding: ‘Now…
Tomosynthesis is a breast cancer screening and diagnostic modality that acquires images of a breast at multiple angles during a short scan. The individual images are then reconstructed into a series of thin, high-resolution slices typically one mm thick.
Using an iodinated contrast agent, I-View software on the Hologic tomosynthesis system enables the user to image the functional 2-D contrast uptake and the morphological mammography images in rapid sequence and combine these three image sets into a single co-registered study.
In a comprehensive modeling study, researchers from UC Davis and other institutions have found that breast cancer screening with digital mammography poses only a small risk of radiation-induced breast cancer for most women. However, the research showed increased risk for women with large breasts or breast implants, who must often receive extra screening views, increasing their radiation exposure.
Additional breast cancers found with MRI are sometimes larger and potentially more aggressive than those found on mammography, according to a study published online in the journal Radiology.
The mammography detection rate of an early-stage but potentially invasive type of breast cancer rises with age, according to a large new study from Germany published online in the journal Radiology.
An in-depth review of randomised trials on screening for breast, colorectal, cervical, prostate and lung cancers, published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, shows that the benefits of mammographic screening are likely to have been overestimated.
Women over the age of 50 are not only at higher risk of developing breast cancer but also osteoporosis. Would it not be practical to use the same method to detect both diseases early on? Definitely, decided Sectra, the Swedish company specialising in PACS and mammography systems.
The Koning Breast CT (KBCT) system, which has been granted FDA approval, provides 3D breast of the entire breast from any orientation for diagnoses.
It is tough enough to be a clinician reading dozens of mammograms every day to detect early signs of breast cancer. Now those same radiologists must become statisticians in order to decrypt dozens of studies, challenging whether it is worth reading mammograms in the first place. Report: John Brosky