SACRAMENTO, Calif., May 10 /PRNewswire/ -- A new breast screening technology that may be able to detect tumors earlier than mammography -- without the need for uncomfortable breast compression -- is being tested in patients at the University of California, Davis, Medical Center.
Developed at UC Davis, the machine is the first breast CT to reach clinical testing in a generation. An early prototype was tested in the 1970s, but abandoned as impractical.
Unlike mammography, in which the breast is squeezed between two plates, the breast CT machine requires no breast compression. The patient lies face down a padded table. The tabletop has a circular opening in it, through which the patient places one breast at a time. A CT machine under the table scans each breast. The screening takes about 17 seconds per breast.
The technology is being tested in patients at UC Davis. If the trial confirms that breast CT detects tumors as well as mammography, as investigators expect, the next step will be a larger trial to determine whether the scanner can indeed detect tumors earlier than mammography. UC Davis researchers believe the scanner will be able to detect tumors at half the average size of those found with mammography, and be especially beneficial for young women and those with breast implants, whose breasts can be difficult to image clearly with mammography.
Tumor size at detection is one of the most important factors determining breast cancer prognosis. The earlier and smaller a cancer is when it is detected, the less the chance that it has spread to the lymph nodes, lungs or bones, and the greater the chance for a permanent cure and for breast preservation.
Full news release, medical illustrations and photo are available at: http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/newsroom.
SATELLITE FEED: May 10, 2005 May 10, 2005 11 a.m. - 11:15 a.m. Pacific Time 2 p.m. - 2:15 p.m. Pacific Time 1400 - 1415 Eastern Time 1700 - 1715 Eastern Time SBS6 - Transponder 9 SBS6 - Transponder 9 Downlink frequency: 11921 horizontal, Audio subcarriers: 6.2 & 6.80 For technical information, contact PACSAT: 916-446-7890.
University of California, Davis, Medical Center
CONTACT: Claudia Morain, +1-916-734-9023, pager, +1-916-762-9855, orPublic Affairs office: +1-916-734-9040