"We were ready to start a family when a mammogram revealed an abnormal mass in my left breast," said Staci Sansolo, 34, of New Jersey. A biopsy revealed the mass was not cancer, but a second-round test found another area of concern.
Due to family history of breast cancer, Sansolo underwent Molecular Breast Imaging/Breast-Specific Gamma Imaging (MBI/BSGI) to rule out any additional abnormalities. The new diagnostic technology found another suspicious area, and this time a biopsy confirmed malignancy. Staci's cancer was found at the earliest stage thanks to MBI/BSGI.
With MBI/BSGI, physicians are able to view cellular activity that can reveal breast cancer, even in difficult-to-screen breasts. This new technology helps physicians and their patients "see what matters" and discover cancer early so treatment can begin and greatly increase the chances for survival.
MBI/BSGI utilizes a high-resolution, compact gamma camera called the Dilon 6800®. 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 "dark spots" on the MBI/BSGI image. BSGI is used as a follow-up to mammography, and is especially useful for patients who have dense breasts, scar tissue, implants, or palpable lesions that cannot be detected using mammography or ultrasound.
A Second Opinion
When Sansolo's mammogram came back abnormal, her mother, a breast cancer survivor, suggested a second opinion from her own physician, Dr. Susan K. Boolbol, Chief of Breast Surgery at Beth Israel Medical Center, New York. It was Dr. Boolbol who ordered the MBI/BSGI test.