The traditional two-dimensional mammographic imagery technology suffers from two primary limitations. First, it is not able to find breast tumors in every instance. For example, in the case of inflammatory breast cancer, which is perhaps the most deadly strain of the disease, early stage tumors can be quite imprecise and undefined, making it difficult for them to be seen on a two-dimensional mammographic image. Infiltrating lobular carcinoma is another dangerous, relatively common type of breast cancer that can also be quite difficult to detect with a traditional mammogram. In addition, two-dimensional mammograms struggle to find tumors in women who have a lot of dense glandular tissue in their breasts. Delayed diagnosis of tumors can be a serious problem for obvious reasons, and this is clearly a problem that has limited the ability of medical science to save the lives of some breast cancer victims.
The second problem is that two-dimensional imagery does not always allow medical professionals to accurately distinguish cancerous tumors from those that are benign. Further tests are required in many cases, and about 10% of women who take mammograms are told that abnormalities have been found, only to find out later that those lesions are completely benign. Needless to say, these women go through an incredible amount to stress before finally receiving the good news.
But the Selenia Dimensions System promises to help ameliorate both of these problems. In the study involving the radiologists, 3D technology (which was used in combination with a 2D mammogram) allowed these medical imagery experts to correctly detect cancers more frequently and to distinguish between cancerous and benign growths more easily. Three-dimensional imagery is simply more precise and detailed than two-dimensional, and it has the potential to make life significantly easier for those tasked with finding breast cancers in their early stages.
Coming Soon to a Town near You
Right now, because this technology is so new, there are not that many hospitals that have purchased Selenia machines just yet. In addition, the Mammography Quality Standards Act requires all health professionals to go through eight hours of structured education before using the Selenia system, so it is going to take some time for sufficient numbers of personnel to receive the necessary training to use this technology efficiently and with a high degree of confidence. Anyone who is anxious to try out this new mammogram technology, but is unable to find a medical facility in their area that has purchased the Selenia system, should contact either the National Cancer Institute or the American College of Radiology to find out where the nearest hospitals or clinics offering 3D mammograms are located.
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