Health & Wellness • Sponsored Section
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September 2013 4
Live in the now At Johns Creek Audiology and Hearing Aid Center, we are ready to help if you’re not ready to let hearing loss get in the way of enjoying your favorite activities. With more than twenty years of experience in bringing the best possible hearing care to this area, Dr. Woodward will work with you to find the hearing solution that best fits your individual needs and budget. Be free to enjoy all that life has to offer.
3D MAMMOGRAPHY »
A major advance in the fight against breast cancer By LYNN D. BAXTER, MD Director of Breast Imaging, Northside Radiology Associates, Northside Hospital
Dr. Deborah Woodward Audiologist
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Breast cancer is the most commonly occurring cancer in women, aside from some non-aggressive forms of skin cancer. One in eight American women will develop the disease at some point in her lifetime. Early detection is the key to improved survival and less invasive treatments. Mammography is the only test of any kind scientifically proven to decrease the death rate from breast cancer. In fact, the death rate from breast cancer has decreased by 30% since mammography screening programs were introduced. Because of this, the American Cancer Society and many other organizations recommend annual mammograms for almost all women beginning at age 40. Some high risk women should begin screening even earlier. Mammograms have also consistently been shown to reduce the death rate from breast cancer in many studies in many other countries, even through using film/screen technology from the 1970’s. However, standard 2 dimensional (2D) mammography has some limitations. Because this
technology creates a 2D image of a 3 dimensional (3D)part of the body, tissues from one part of the breast can overlap with tissues from another part, creating a false impression of a mass on the image, or allowing normal tissues to mask a cancer. Breast tomosynthesis, also known as 3D mammography, is a new advance in breast imaging technology that goes a long way toward overcoming these limitations. In 3D mammography, images are obtained from multiple angles around the breast and synthesized by a computer into a series of images 1 mm thick. The radiologist can view them together like a “movie” where they view the inner structures of the breast, moving from one side to the other. This helps to eliminate the problem of overlapping tissues. Studies so far have shown a 27 – 30% increase in cancer detection with 3D mammography and a 30 -40% decrease in the rate of recalls for additional imaging. Benefits have been proven for women with all breast densities. Still, 3D mammography is not perfect, and it cannot find all cancers or prevent all recalls. It is currently only approved by the FDA for use
as a combination exam with standard 2D mammography. As a result, the radiation dose from the combination exam is higher than that of a 2D mammogram alone ( but still within FDA limits, and actually lower than some old film mammograms). All that being said, 3D technology shows tremendous promise towards overcoming some of the most common limitations of mammogram screening, and will continually improve breast cancer screening and diagnostic capabilities. Northside Hospital Breast Cancer Center Northside Hospital is one of the leading providers of breast cancer services in the nation, diagnosing and treating more cases of breast cancer than anyone else in the Southeast. Northside Hospital was the first facility to make 3D mammography clinically available in Atlanta, and has continued to expand its availability, now providing 3D services at the hospital’s Forsyth, Alpharetta and Atlanta locations. For more information about Northside Hospital’s premier breast cancer screening technology go to www.northside.com/cancerinstitute, or call 404-851-6577 to schedule an exam.