Mammography News and Research

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A mammogram is a safe test used to look for any problems with a woman's breasts. The test uses a special, low-dose x-ray machine to take pictures of both breasts. The results are recorded on x-ray film or directly onto a computer for a radiologist to examine.

Mammograms allow the doctor to have a closer look for breast lumps and changes in breast tissue. They can show small lumps or growths that a doctor or woman may not be able to feel when doing a clinical breast exam. "Mammography" is the best screening tool that doctors have for finding breast cancer.

If a lump is found, your doctor may order other tests, such as ultrasound or a biopsy--a test where a small amount of tissue is taken from the lump and area around the lump. The tissue is sent to a lab to look for cancer or changes that may mean cancer is likely to develop. Breast lumps or growths can be benign (not cancer) or malignant (cancer). Finding breast cancer early means that a woman has a better chance of surviving the disease. There are also more choices for treatment when breast cancer is found early.

PEM scanners demonstrate improved specificity with high sensitivity in breast cancer diagnosis: Study

In a recent study presented at the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) 52nd Annual Meeting, researchers at the University of Washington showed that 18FDG dose for Positron Emission Mammography (PEM) may be reduced by as much as 70% without altering image quality.

24 Aug 2010

Breast-specific gamma imaging increases radiation-induced cancer risk: Report

Some nuclear-based breast imaging exams may increase a woman's risk of developing radiation-induced cancer, according to a special report appearing online and in the October issue of Radiology. However, the radiation dose and risk from mammography are very low.

24 Aug 2010

Moderate chocolate consumption lowers heart failure risk: Study

Middle-aged and elderly Swedish women who regularly ate a small amount of chocolate had lower risks of heart failure risks, in a study reported in Circulation: Heart Failure, a journal of the American Heart Association.

18 Aug 2010

Pathology experts meet to at SESPM to update new advances in breast surgery

Over 1.500 breast pathology experts will meet between the 20th and 22nd of October in the 16th World Congress of the Senologic International Society (SIS). This meeting and the 29th Congress of the Spanish Society of Senology and Breast Diseases (SESPM) will take place in the Valencia, coinciding with the International Breast Cancer Day.

16 Aug 2010

Mobile and free clinics provide low cost medical care to uninsured patients

Reuters, on mobile clinics including the Family Van, a nonprofit clinic affiliated with Harvard University, in Boston: "The van -- which visits six low-income neighborhoods around Boston weekly -- is one of about 2,000 such mobile clinics in the United States. Advocates say the approach can help control the rising cost of health care by helping people with chronic diseases to stay out of the emergency room, often the first recourse for inner-city residents.

13 Aug 2010

RadNet completes acquisition of Health Diagnostics' New Jersey subsidiary

RadNet, Inc., a national leader in providing high-quality, cost-effective, fixed-site outpatient diagnostic imaging services through a network of 191 fully-owned and operated outpatient imaging centers, today reported it has completed the previously announced acquisition of the New Jersey operating subsidiary of Health Diagnostics.

12 Aug 2010

Study to evaluate sensitivity of mammography combined with somo•v ABUS technology in breast cancer screening

Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital announced today that it has joined U-Systems national clinical research study designed to evaluate whether digital mammography, when combined with the somo•v Automated Breast Ultrasound System (ABUS) from U-Systems, Inc (Sunnyvale, CA), is more sensitive in detecting breast lesions compared to mammography alone in women with dense breasts. Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital is the only site in Michigan, and one of only ten breast cancer centers in the entire country, currently recruiting women for the SOMO•INSIGHT clinical study.

10 Aug 2010

RadNet second-quarter revenue increases 6.0% to $139.0 million

9 Aug 2010

Norwegian cervical screening program begins reimbursing for liquid-based cytology

Hologic, Inc., a leading developer, manufacturer and supplier of premium diagnostics products, medical imaging systems and surgical products dedicated to serving the healthcare needs of women, today announced that on July 1, 2010, the Norwegian cervical screening program began reimbursing for liquid-based cytology (LBC).

6 Aug 2010

FDA clears iCAD's VeraLook computer-aided detection product for virtual colonoscopy

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has given clearance to VeraLook™, iCAD's computer-aided detection product used in the interpretation of virtual colonoscopy exams. iCAD is an industry-leading provider of advanced image analysis solutions for the early detection of cancer.

5 Aug 2010

InHealth Imaging selects Intelerad Medical Systems' IntelePACS solution

Intelerad Medical Systems, a leader in medical imaging PACS and workflow solutions, today announced that InHealth Imaging, LLC has chosen IntelePACS as their first filmless PACS system, including the IntelePACS Breast Imaging module.

4 Aug 2010

Scientists discover factors that reduce breast screening effectiveness

Scientists have found evidence that the reduced effectiveness of breast screening in women in their 40s is mainly due to their tumours being harder to detect, rather than because they grow faster.Previous research has suggested that breast screening is less effective in women in their 40s than in older women.Two reasons have been identified for this - firstly, that younger women tend to have denser breast tissue which makes it harder to detect tumours on a mammogram; and secondly, because younger women's tumours tend to grow more quickly.

3 Aug 2010

iCAD launches new advanced MRI product suite

iCAD, Inc., an industry-leading provider of advanced image analysis and workflow solutions for the early detection of cancer, today announced the launch of an MRI product suite for breast, prostate, and other organs. The product suite, which is a comprehensive quantitative image analysis solution, brings together the company's current products SpectraLook® and VividLook® with the new OmniLook™ and VersaVue™ Enterprise, to offer a comprehensive quantitative image analysis suite.

21 Jul 2010

Rate of women getting mammography screenings stalls; colorectal cancer screenings remain underused by medicare patients

One-fifth of American women ages 50 to 74 have fallen behind on mammography screenings for breast cancer, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are reporting. Although the percentage of women in this age group who get a regular breast cancer screening every two years increased steadily during the 1990s, the rate has remained just over 80 percent since 2000, according to the centers' Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

21 Jul 2010

Three different methods for accurately measuring breast density

Two new studies announced this week have tested three different methods for accurately measuring breast density -- the relative portion of tissue to fat in a woman's breasts and a strong indicator of breast cancer risk.

19 Jul 2010

Researchers to receive $1.2M from Susan G. Komen for the Cure for breast cancer research

Four researchers from Detroit, Michigan's Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute and Wayne State University will receive a total of $1.2 million from Susan G. Komen for the Cure to help advance research to better detect, prevent and eliminate breast cancer. The $1.2 million awarded to these outstanding scientists is part of the $59 million portfolio of research grants that Susan G. Komen for the Cure has awarded this year alone to scientists across the globe to help accelerate innovative breast cancer research.

17 Jul 2010

Komen Advocacy Alliance applauds new federal rules for no-cost access to mammography

Susan G. Komen for the Cure® and the Susan G. Komen for the Cure® Advocacy Alliance today applauded new federal rules that will expand access to potentially life-saving care for millions of Americans.

15 Jul 2010

Keck School of Medicine receives grant for research on biomarker impact on breast cancer screening

Researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC) will test whether a set of blood-based biomarkers can assist mammography in the early detection of breast cancer with a $180,000 grant announced today from Susan G. Komen for the Cure®. The grant will fund research into whether specific biomarkers, or minute substances in the blood, can effectively distinguish breast cancer patients from their healthy counterparts and whether an inexpensive, less invasive screening strategy can be developed based on this approach.

15 Jul 2010

RAF and MWHC to open new Imaging Center for Women

The new Imaging Center for Women will open for patients on July 19 at 10 a.m., just after a ceremonial ribbon cutting. The three-story angular glass and brick building on Mary Washington Healthcare's campus is located between the community hospital and Cowan Boulevard. Staff will move from the current facility in the Tompkins Martin Building July 15 and 16 in preparation for the opening.

14 Jul 2010

New prediction tool estimates risk for recurrence after breast-conserving surgery in DCIS patients

The decision regarding treatment following breast-conserving surgery for patients diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in-situ (DCIS) has long been an area of discussion and confusion for patients and physicians alike. While the mortality rates for DCIS remain low, the risk of local recurrence in the breast is high. Standard treatments following surgery include radiation therapy and hormone treatment. While both treatments have been proven to lower the risk of recurrence in the breast, neither has been shown to improve survival, and both carry potentially serious risks.