"Tomo shows increased detection, fewer false positives"

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djmammo
djmammo Member Posts: 2,939
edited August 2019 in Not Diagnosed But Worried

We all felt this when we first started using Tomo (3D) and here is a study the substantiates that feeling. The goal is always to increase detection without increasing call backs and this modality appears to show some progress towards that goal. Still not perfect but a lot better. It will have to do until MRI takes 10 minutes and costs $35.00.

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(from Radiology published this month: https://pubs.rsna.org/doi/abs/10.1148/radiol.2019190425?journalCode=radiology)

"Digital breast tomosynthesis enabled the detection of more cancers in all density and age groups compared with digital mammography, especially cancers classified as spiculated masses and architectural distortions. The improvement in cancer detection rate showed a positive correlation with age. With use of digital breast tomosynthesis, false-positive findings were lower due to fewer asymmetric densities, except in extremely dense breasts."

Comments

  • SimoneRC
    SimoneRC Member Posts: 419
    edited August 2019

    Great news! I was in the unlucky extremely dense breast club and it did not detect mine. Even the day of my biopsy. I hope all ladies reading with dense breasts and any risk factors or changes add the additional recommended surveillance. Still, nice to see progress. Thanks Djmammo!!

  • Hipline
    Hipline Member Posts: 195
    edited August 2019

    Having dense breasts and a tricky lobular diagnosis, my cancer also was not caught on mammography. Glad to see this is becoming more mainstream!

  • DebAL
    DebAL Member Posts: 877
    edited August 2019

    extremely dense breasts here too. Had tomos yearly before tumor was finslly found. BS said it was most likely there 3 years or so. I just didn't feel comfortable going the lumpectomy route given my denseness. I was given my surgery/pathology report and both breasts were 55% dense tissue.

    Looking back i wish I would have insisted on MRIs, ultrasounds in addition to the tomos. What's done is done

    Definitely a great tool and a step forward in early diagnosis. Thank you for sharing.

  • Rah2464
    Rah2464 Member Posts: 1,647
    edited August 2019

    My nasty little BC resisted imaging by 3D mammography and ultrasound imaging for who knows how long. I concur that I hope the word gets out for all the dense breasted ladies out there. I am happy to see progress and I hope that the increased knowledge means that more can get diagnosed at earlier stages. Thanks for sharing the good news Dr. Mammo !

  • hodgepodge
    hodgepodge Member Posts: 92
    edited August 2019

    Another "dense breast tissue" person here. Mammography did not catch my cancer either time, I felt it and asked for a biopsy. My sister also has dense breast so I'll be sharing this info with her today!

  • wanderweg
    wanderweg Member Posts: 549
    edited August 2019

    Extremely dense tissue here as well. My tumor didn’t show up on a mammogram at all, including not on a digital mammogram. Or on ultrasound. What did show up wassome calcifications and that lead to a biopsy just to be safe. The actual tumor was a surprise.

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