More Effective Breast Cancer Detection

More Effective Breast Cancer Detection

Gamma imaging may be able to detect breast cancer more quickly for women with breast implants.

Mammograms play a vital role in 80 to 85 percent of breast cancer cases, but mammograms do have their limitations, because this type of x-ray only reflects tissue density.

Now there is another weapon in the detection and diagnosis of breast cancer: a molecular breast imaging system called the Dilon 6800.

This machine produces Breast Specific Gamma Imaging, or B-S-G-I.

A B-S-G-I uses an image similar to that of an M-R-I, and can differentiate between cancerous and noncancerous cells.

While a B-S-G-I procedure is not intended to replace a mammogram, it is useful when a mammogram is inconclusive due to the presence of dense tissue, such as breast implants.

The procedure takes about 45 minutes to an hour, and is reportedly less uncomfortable than a mammogram. Early research shows that a B-S-G-I can detect some cancers as early as six months before a mammogram, allowing for earlier, and hopefully more effective, treatment.