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Reprinted with permission, Courtesy, Ocean County Observer.
BY CAROLYNNE VAN HOUTEN
STAFF WRITER
TOMS RIVER, New Jersey, January 31, 2007 – Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women and the second most deadly, according to the American Cancer Society.
Community Medical Center wants to give every woman — young and old — every advantage in the fight against breast cancer. In July the hospital got the $2 million Achieva 3.0T X-series MRI scanner, cutting-edge technology that helps with early detection of breast cancer.
The state-of-the-art imaging system uses magnetic energy and radio waves to produce precise images of the tissue inside the breast, enabling doctors to detect minute breast cancer lesions that might not be visible with traditional mammography or ultrasound.
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TOM SPADER PHOTO
Christopher Maase, an MRI technician at Community Medical Center, sets up the hospital's new, state-of-the-art MRI system for a breast screening. |
MRI is a safe, painless procedure that uses no radiation to identify the presence of a mass, particularly in women with dense breasts, scar tissue from previous breast surgery or breast implants.
"Bringing breast MRI and MRI-guided interventional services to Community Medical Center is a major advance in the continuum of breast health services available to women in the area," said Dr. Cynthia Barone, a radiologist and women's imaging specialist at the hospital. "Community Medical Center is the first hospital in the region — and one of only a few hospitals across the state — to offer this advanced diagnostic modality."
But the new technology is not intended to replace mammography in terms of the arsenal in detecting cancer, Barone said.
"Breast MRI is helpful for women with suspicious mammograms or ultrasounds, breast implants, scar tissue, women with dense breast tissue or women with genetic factors that place them at high risk for breast cancer," said Dr. Alicia Daniels, director of women's imaging at Community Medical Center. "It is designed to supplement screening mammograms to help make a diagnosis of breast cancer."
Approximately 178,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year in the United States, and roughly 41,000 women die of it, according to the American Cancer Society. While great inroads have been made in the treatment of breast cancer, the incidence has remained level for more than a decade, with an average of one in eight women ever being diagnosed with the disease.
Dense breasts — a genetic condition affecting about one in six women — significantly increase a woman's risk for breast cancer, according to a study in the New England Journal of Medicine. Masses that grow within dense tissue are harder to detect by traditional mammography, leaving women in this category in need of the most sensitive diagnostic tools.
The arrival of the scanner at Community Medical Center offers approximately twice the magnetic field strength of conventional MRI systems, allowing for greater image resolution as well as the ability to examine a greater cross-section of tissue. The tool is especially helpful for finding small masses and tumors and determining the exact size and shape of a mass. Its potential over conventional MRI was well-documented in the June issue of the Radiology medical journal.
"This new technology offers the highest level or clarity in terms of diagnostic images of the breast," said Dr. Joseph Triolo, chairman of the Radiology Department at Community Medical Center. "The state-of-the-art equipment also allows for the simultaneous imaging of both breasts, a unique advantage for both patients and radiologists who look for symmetry in the diagnostic process."
The addition of the new breast MRI includes features that go beyond its diagnostic capabilities, Barone said. It also is used to help determine the stage of breast cancer and to monitor tissue changes throughout treatment.
"Breast MRI is a vital tool in treatment planning," Barone said, "providing additional information on the stage, spread and location of breast cancers so that patients and their physicians can make the most informed treatment decisions possible. So often, women find that they need to have a biopsy, and their first question to me is usually "Where do I have to go?' This technology gives us the capacity to do a biopsy here, which saves time and in many cases, worry. And it allows us to provide a more in-depth and complete study with patients' oncologists."
One of the main hurdles to access to the new breast MRI screening is its expense: Barone said it can cost approximately $2,000 in out-of-pocket expenses, as many insurance companies do not cover MRI screening in their policies. But, considering its potential to save lives, its contribution should not be discounted.
"Breast MRI is providing us with supplemental information that may help us to improve early detection and make better treatment planning decisions," Barone said. "The addition of this state-of-the-art diagnostic modality is an exciting advance in breast care, and promises to be a major breakthrough in breast cancer detection, diagnosis and treatment for area women."
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