January 8, 2016 — Alpha Imaging, an independent sales and service provider of advanced medical imaging equipment, announced that it has executed a distribution agreement with Gamma Medica Inc. The agreement covers distribution of Gamma Medica's LumaGEM molecular breast imaging (MBI) solution in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions.
MBI is a new technology that greatly improves detection of early cancers in women with dense breast tissue and complex mammograms, addressing the shortcomings of mammography and other screening modalities.
Recently published studies have shown the addition of MBI for women with dense breast tissue results in a four-times increase in invasive breast cancer detection rates as part of a secondary screening protocol. Use of MBI also showed a 50 percent reduction in biopsies and a subsequent 15 percent lower cost per cancer detected than screening with mammography alone.
Dense breast tissue makes it more difficult to detect cancer, since both lesions and dense tissue appear white on a mammogram. According to recent publications, MBI is a functional imaging modality that highlights metabolic activity in breast tumors not visible on mammography due to tissue density, thereby leading to earlier diagnosis, improved outcomes and lowered costs.
It is important for women to discuss with their doctors if MBI is an appropriate screening method for them. In addition to women with dense breast tissue or suspicious lesions, MBI may also be valuable for high-risk patients with a family history of breast cancer, patients who have tested positive for BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes, symptomatic patients, patients with cosmetic augmentation or patients who cannot receive a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) exam.
For more information: www.gammamedica.com