A new generation of mammogram technology at Cayuga Health’s Cayuga Medical Center, its East Campus and Cortland outpatient offices, and Schuyler Hospital is providing more sensitive and clinically proven breast cancer exams that facilitate earlier cancer detection and reduce callbacks for additional diagnostic testing.
Both hospitals and the outpatient offices offer 3D mammography that provides several important benefits for women:
About 40 percent of women ages 40 to 74 have dense breasts. That can make conventional, 2D digital mammogram images difficult to evaluate and often requires additional tests that can result in increased patient anxiety and unnecessary costs. The mammography units at Cayuga Health combine 2D digital mammography with 3D mammography in a single test to provide more imaging information to the radiologists who review the x-ray images. In addition to improving the accuracy of the diagnosis, the combined 2D and 3D imaging is done without exposing patients to the additional radiation that would be required if separate tests were done.
What is 3D mammography?
The technology uses a low-dose x-ray system and computer reconstructions to create three-dimensional images of the breasts.
A conventional mammogram is two-dimensional: two x-ray images are taken of the breast, from the top-to-bottom and from angled side-to-side, while the breast is compressed between a paddle and an imaging detector. Although compression is necessary to obtain breast images, it may cause overlapping of the breast tissue in which abnormal tissue can be hidden and superimposed normal tissue can appear abnormal.
In 3D mammography, the x-ray tube moves in an arc over the compressed breast, capturing multiple images of each breast from different angles. These digital images are then reconstructed or “synthesized” into a set of three-dimensional images by a computer. These images minimize the tissue overlap that can hide cancers or make it difficult to distinguish normal overlapping breast tissue from tumors.
How does the procedure work?
Multiple low-dose x-ray images of the breast are digitized and then transferred to a computer where they are reconstructed into a three-dimensional image set. In this way, 3-D breast imaging is like computed tomography (CT) imaging in which a series of thin high-resolution “slices” are assembled to create a 3-D reconstruction of the body. Numerous studies have shown 3D mammography is 20 to 60 percent more accurate in detecting invasive breast cancer when compared to 2D mammography alone. Invasive cancers are the types of cancer that will advance to become life-threatening if not detected in time for effective treatment.
What happens in the procedure?
The 3-D Hologic Selenia units look like conventional, 2D units. The top of the Hologic machine has an arm that contains a tube that produces the x-rays. During the imaging, the arm moves in an arc of about 15 degrees to the right and left. The unit is used exclusively for x-ray exams of the breast, and special accessories allow only the breast to be exposed to the x-rays. Attached to the unit is a device that holds and compresses the breast and positions it so images can be obtained at different angles.
The compression is necessary and allows for better- quality mammograms. Some women with sensitive breasts may experience discomfort during the procedure. Be sure to inform the technologist if pain occurs as compression increases. If discomfort is significant, less compression will be used.
How long does the test take?
The test takes about 60 seconds. When the scan is completed, a radiologist reviews the images and, in most cases, your results are available before you leave the office or at the latest by telephone within one business day. The rapid turnaround allows for further diagnostic testing, if needed, to be performed at the same time or within a few days.
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State-of-the-art mammogram technology is available from Cayuga Health at four convenient locations: Cayuga Medical Center main campus, 101 Dates Drive, Ithaca, (607) 274-4227; East Campus, 10 Arrowwood Drive, Ithaca, (607) 274-4227; Cortland Campus, 1129 Commons Ave., Cortland, (607) 274-4227 and Schuyler Hospital, 220 Steuben St., Montour Falls, (607) 535-8613.
