CLEVELAND–Some call it the biggest advancement in early detection in 30 years.
Now, a new dimension is coming to breast cancer detection through new technology: tomosynthesis.
“The tube sweeps over their breasts and takes 15 images and takes the regular 2-D standard digital mammograms,” said Dr. Donna Plecha of University Hospitals. “Instead of looking at four images in a mammogram, we’re looking at 200 images.”
The FDA approved tomosynthesis earlier this year. UH is one of the first hospitals in the country to add the 3-D technology to its cancer center.
Plecha said the procedure is similar to a traditional screening, but it makes abnormalities easier to see.
Nationwide, about 10 percent of women who get mammograms have to return for additional screenings. But, the new technology may help reduce false alarms, plus the needs for scans and biopsies.
“Hopefully we’ll be detecting breast cancer at a much smaller size, earlier stages, so we have a much better cure rate and we’re able to cure patients at a much earlier stage of breast cancer,” Plecha said.