September 5, 2008 - On the heels of the recent press release from the Mayo Clinic regarding molecular breast imaging, researchers from Thomas Jefferson University Hospital have released their findings using this new imaging modality at the American Society of Clinical Oncology national meeting.
Kristin Brill, M.D., and her colleagues conducted a multicenter study containing 201 women who required additional imaging after a questionable mammogram. Patients had both breast MRI and molecular breast imaging. The authors concluded, “BSGI (Breast-Specific Gamma Imaging) demonstrates equal sensitivity to breast MRI in the detection of malignant and high-risk breast lesions while reducing the rate of indeterminate findings by 50 percent. BSGI has additional advantages over MRI in that the study generates four to eight images, as compared to up to 1000 images in MRI and can be utilized in all patients including those with ferromagnetic implants or renal insufficiency. In addition, BSGI is conducted at a fraction of the cost per procedure of breast MRI.”
The term BSGI has been used to describe molecular breast imaging for the last five years. This imaging technology is FDA approved, is currently available in approximately 80 centers across the United States and approximately 50,000 patients have been imaged to date.
For more information: www.dilon.com