Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Hoag Breast Care Center First in California to Offer 3D Mammography
Newport Beach, Calif. – Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian announced today that Hoag Breast
Care Center is the first breast care center in California and one of only
a handful in the United States to offer 3D digital breast tomosynthesis
for breast cancer screening.
This revolutionary technology promises to improve breast cancer detection,
especially in young women and women of any age with radiographically dense
breast tissue. Women who undergo routine mammograms at Hoag Breast Care
Center now have the latest screening technology available to them.
Digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) is a revolutionary FDA-approved 3D imaging
modality that gives radiologists the ability to identify and characterize
individual breast structures without the confusion of overlapping tissue,
the Achilles heel of 2D digital mammography. Breast tomosynthesis is especially
beneficial for women with dense breasts. Dense breast tissue can obscure
an underlying cancer, or conversely mimic a cancer when none exists. Approximately
15-20 percent of breast cancers cannot be detected using traditional 2D
mammography, especially in women with dense breast tissue.
“It’s a major milestone to be the first breast center in California
to provide patients with digital breast tomosynthesis,” said Gary
M. Levine, M.D., director of breast imaging at Hoag Breast Care Center
and one of the nation’s leading experts in breast tomosynthesis.
“At Hoag we have been involved with the development and testing
of tomosynthesis since 2009. Recent reader studies have confirmed DBT
to be superior to conventional mammography alone at finding early breast
cancer. Tomosynthesis will allow us to discover more early stage breast
cancers and early detection translates to lives saved.”
During a tomosynthesis exam, 15 digital “projection” images
are captured as it arcs over the breast, during a short four-second scan.
These images are then digitally reconstructed into a series of high-resolution
one-millimeter slices that can be reviewed individually or played back
in a cine loop.
“Tomosynthesis, by solving the issue of tissue superimposition, will
not only allow us to detect breast cancer more reliably, it will also
reduce the number of unnecessary call backs for additional testing,”
adds Dr. Levine. “This will then address a frequent criticism of
mammography by reducing anxiety and controlling costs.”
A woman can learn if her breasts are dense by asking her physician or the
radiologist who performs her mammogram. Breast density is not based on
family history and cannot be determined by look and feel of the breast.
Approximately 75 percent of women in their forties have dense breasts,
and this percentage typically decreases with age – with 54 percent
of women in their fifties and 42 percent of women in their sixties having
dense breasts. Approximately 40 to 50 percent of women Hoag screens annually
have extremely dense breast tissue, particularly younger women ages 40-49.
Regardless of whether a woman has dense breast tissue or not, mammograms
and self breast awareness play a crucial role in early detection. Breast
cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death among women, exceeded
only by lung cancer. Statistics indicate that one in eight women will
develop breast cancer sometime in her lifetime. The stage at which breast
cancer is detected influences a woman’s chance of survival. If found
and treated early, while still localized in the breast, the ten-year survival
rate for breast cancer is greater than 90 percent.
Hoag is pleased to offer digital breast tomosynthesis to Orange County
women due to a generous grant from Circle 1000, a dedicated group of women
that have raised funds for Hoag Family Cancer Institute since 1987. In
the near future, Hoag will be extending this technology to Irvine as well.
Hoag is committed to the fight against breast cancer. In offering 3D breast
tomosynthesis digital mammography, Hoag Breast Care Center provides the
latest in imaging quality and the specialized experts to ensure the highest
quality of care for patients.
About Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian
Hoag is a non-profit regional healthcare delivery network in Orange County,
Calif. that treats nearly 30,000 inpatients and 350,000 outpatients annually.
Hoag consists of two acute-care hospitals, seven health centers and three
urgent care centers (with two more scheduled to open in Fall 2011). Hoag
Hospital Newport Beach, which has served Orange County since 1952, and
Hoag Hospital Irvine, which opened in 2010, are designated Magnet hospitals
by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). Hoag offers a comprehensive
blend of health care services that include five institutes providing specialized
services in the following areas: cancer, heart and vascular, neurosciences,
women’s health and orthopedics through Hoag’s affiliate Hoag
Orthopedic Institute. Hoag has been named one of the Best Regional Hospitals in the
U.S. News & World Report Metro Edition. National Research Corporation has endorsed Hoag as Orange County’s
most preferred hospital for the past 15 consecutive years and for an unprecedented
15 years, residents of Orange County have chosen Hoag as the county’s
best hospital in a local newspaper survey.