Study: New way to spot breast cancer shows prom

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gracejon
gracejon Member Posts: 972
edited June 2014 in High Risk for Breast Cancer
Study: New way to spot breast cancer shows prom6:19 PM
A radioactive tracer that "lights up" cancer hiding inside dense breasts showed promise in its first big test against mammograms, revealing more tumors and giving fewer false alarms, doctors reported   A LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL  pun intended!  When I ferret out more details I'll post. from the AP called molecular breast imaging to be presented by Mayo Clinic.
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  • gracejon
    gracejon Member Posts: 972
    edited September 2008
    AP Photo/The Mayo ClinicThese undated images show a standard mammogram, left, and molecular breast imaging (MBI) from a study performed on a 45-year-old patient in the clinic's screening of women with dense breasts. The mammogram was interpreted as being negative while the MBI image shows a cancer indicated by the arrow.
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  • gracejon
    gracejon Member Posts: 972
    edited September 2008

    The experimental method -- molecular breast imaging, or MBI -- would not replace mammograms for women at average risk of the disease.

    But it might become an additional tool for higher risk women with a lot of dense tissue that makes tumors hard to spot on mammograms, and it could be done at less cost than an MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging. About one-fourth of women 40 and older have dense breasts.

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  • Mary-Lou
    Mary-Lou Member Posts: 2,230
    edited September 2008

    I have always had dense breast. I hope this is a light at the end of the tunnel.

    Thanks for sharing.....

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  • nash
    nash Member Posts: 2,600
    edited September 2008

    Thanks for posting this--very promising.

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  • Kleenex
    Kleenex Member Posts: 764
    edited September 2008

    Is someone doing this somewhere? Or are they still just playing with the technology in an experimental way?

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  • gracejon
    gracejon Member Posts: 972
    edited September 2008
    "MBI is a promising technology" that is already in advanced testing, said Carrie Hruska, a biomedical engineer at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., which has been working on it for six years.  This study is being presented at the ASCP breast cancer symposium I believe going on now.  Googled molecular breast imaging and it looks like others are looking into this also but may possibly be another institution involved with same study.
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  • otter
    otter Member Posts: 6,099
    edited September 2008

    FloridaLady started a thread about this report, over on the "Help Me Get Through Treatment" forum.  It's been picked up by the news outlets and is all over the place with a Google News search.

    Some of what follows is what I posted in that other thread:

    Apparently the folks at Mayo Clinic have been investigating this method for several years.  [The results look really, really good.]

    Here is more information about the method, which is called "MBI" (molecular breast imaging):  http://www.healthimaging.com/content/view/10638/118/

    The technique is based on the fact that cancer cells have a higher level of metabolic activity, and they'll pick up and accumulate more of the radioactive tracer than normal cells will:  http://medicalphysicsweb.org/cws/article/industry/26669 

    "...The women were injected with a small amount of a radioactive drug, sestamibi, which preferentially travels to tumours, which absorb the substance.

    "During the scan, each breast was lightly compressed between the gamma cameras, with just enough pressure to keep it stationary for 5–10 min while several pictures were taken. "It is much more comfortable for women because a force of only 15 lb is used, compared with the 45 lb force compression needed to take a mammogram," said O'Connor.

    "The images showed that a small amount of the sestamibi was usually absorbed throughout the breast. But in cancerous areas, the amount of drug absorption was significantly increased."

    The image is captured with a special type of gamma camera:   http://www.dilon.com/medicalprofessionals.php 

    From what I've read (thanks to FloridaLady's post), it looks like the MBI method will be considerably less expensive than a breast MRI.  The articles are suggesting it will cost only slightly more than mammography, but will be significantly better at detecting tumors in dense breast tissue.  Unfortunately, the radiation exposure is estimated to be 8 to 10 times what we would get with a mammogram; they're working on reducing that.

    MBI may also be useful for women with "atypical" lesions.  There is a clinical trial underway right now, to test it in women with atypical lobular hyperplasia, atypical ductal hyperplasia, and lobular carcinoma in situ:  http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00620087 

    One article I found said that the method is currently being used only at the Mayo Clinic.  But, I also found some very recent announcements suggesting that other cancer centers are buying the equipment and will be starting to do MBI.  I don't know how well-accepted the method is among surgeons and radiologists at this point (much less insurance companies!).  I did see a "Dear Doctor" letter from the American Society of Breast Surgeons, dated May 2, 2008, describing the procedure and what it can achieve.

    otter

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  • ACAB
    ACAB Member Posts: 14
    edited September 2008

    My hygienist was talking about this today.  Her fellow hygienist friend and b/c veteran works with b/c pts at Chapel Hill and said they're starting this new testing.  Don't know if it's in progress or on the table for the future.  It's worth a phone call to the breast center at Chapel Hill if you're interested and near NC. 

    Amy B. 

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  • gracejon
    gracejon Member Posts: 972
    edited September 2008

    It does sound very promising.  The one drawback is the exposure to a  more significant amount of radiation during this test.  It did state they were working to resolve this issue.

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  • wishiwere
    wishiwere Member Posts: 3,793
    edited September 2008

    Wow !  I wish there were some trials with this and Lobular (rather than LCIS).  Dense breast here and hx of Lobular that wasn't seen on Mammo or US and really concerned b/c MRI hasn't been mentioned in my future follow ups.  That's a bit discerning to me....  Interesting info, thanks for sharing it ladies!

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  • lilsunshine
    lilsunshine Member Posts: 114
    edited September 2008

    THey are doing this here in the DC area at GW Hosptial , not sure which one this is. I am going to look this up. You can look it up on this link. www.wusatv9.com and find the story about breast cancer imaging . THey are big on anything to do with BC so they have a lot on BC. with their Buddy 9 check , you check your breasts every 9th of the month, that way you remember.

     Bonnie

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