Molecular Breast Imaging Improves Early Detection in High-Risk Women

Molecular breast imaging (MBI), also known as breast-specific gamma imaging (BSGI), can identify breast cancer missed by mammography, according to recent data.

The clinical study’s findings were presented in November 2012 at the annual Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) meeting, held in Chicago (IL, USA), by Dr. Rachel Brem, from George Washington University Medical Center (Washington DC, USA). In their study, 364 high-risk patients who had a recent, negative mammogram underwent an MBI scanning. In this group, MBI detected breast cancer in nine patients. All tumors were in women with dense breasts.

According to Dr. Brem, director of breast imaging and vice chair of radiology at George Washington, “We have long recognized that patients at high-risk for breast malignancy would likely benefit from additional imaging beyond the mammogram. These results indicate that MBI/BSGI could be a very good option for this population; we found breast cancer in 2.5% of these patients who had a recent, negative mammogram. That’s pretty impressive and these results are similar to those from the Mayo Clinic [Rochester, MN, USA]. Although breast MRI is another option, in our practice we find that many patients are unable to have an MRI such as those with pacemakers, claustrophobia, etc., and for others, the cost of an MRI study is simply out of reach. The MBI/BSGI procedure provides us with a low-cost, well tolerated exam that is clearly capable of filling the need for the high-risk group, especially for women who have dense breasts which can make reading the mammogram more difficult.”

Dilon Diagnostics’ (Newport News, VA, USA) Dilon 6800, is a high-resolution, small field-of-view gamma camera, optimized to perform MBI/BSGI. Many leading medical centers In the United States are now offering MBI/BSGI to their patients, such as Cornell University Medical Center (New York, NY, USA), and George Washington University Medical Center.

Related Links:
George Washington University Medical Center
Dilon Diagnostics