Southwest X-Ray deploys Gamma Medica’s LumaGEM MBI system for screening women with dense breast tissue

Gamma Medica, a leader in molecular breast imaging technology (MBI), announced today that Southwest X-Ray, the leading outpatient services provider in El Paso, TX, has installed Gamma Medica’s LumaGEM Molecular Breast Imaging (MBI) system in its Gateway Blvd. West location. Southwest X-Ray will utilize the LumaGEM MBI system as a secondary diagnostic tool for inconclusive mammography screenings in patients with dense breast tissue.

“The installation of our LumaGEM MBI system in a standalone diagnostic imaging center is indicative of the market’s recognition of MBI as a standard secondary screening and diagnostic tool to the traditional mammogram,” stated Philip Croxford, CEO of Gamma Medica. “Our partnership with Southwest X-Ray not only offers the organization a breakthrough in the early detection of breast cancer in women who have dense breast tissue, but is a testament to the important shift in the evolving healthcare landscape toward a future of personalized care.”

MBI is a groundbreaking technology that eliminates key shortcomings of traditional anatomical imaging technologies such as mammography and ultrasound by significantly improving early diagnosis of breast cancer in women with dense breast tissue. Dense breast tissue makes it more it challenging to detect cancer, as both lesions and dense tissue appear white on a traditional mammogram. According to recent publications, MBI is a functional imaging modality that highlights metabolic activity in breast tumors not visible on mammography due to tissue density, thereby leading to earlier, specific diagnosis, improved outcomes and lowered costs. LumaGEM has also proven to reduce painful and costly biopsies by 50 percent.

“Our goal is to provide our patients with the best quality of care by utilizing the latest enhancements in hardware and software,” said Roy Jauernek, M.D., a radiologist at Southwest X-Ray. “We needed to install a secondary tool that would provide our patients and staff with accurate results. Given the significant increase in cancer detection rates through the use of the LumaGEM MBI system, we are confident this installation will assist us in early diagnosis of breast cancer, specifically for our patients with dense breast tissue.”