Women who undergo routine mammograms at University Healthcare Berkeley Medical Center now have the latest screening and diagnostic technology available to them.
University Healthcare officials recently announced that 3D breast tomosynthesis (tomo) for breast cancer screening is now available in Berkeley County at the Women’s Imaging Center, located in the Tennessee Avenue medical office building across from the Berkeley Medical Center campus.
Berkeley Medical Center’s Women’s Imaging Center is equipped with the latest generation of mammography equipment from Hologic. This new digital mammography system allows physicians to look at 3-dimensional images that can show very small breast cancers.
Breast tomosynthesis is a revolutionary technology that gives radiologists the ability to identify and characterize individual breast structures without the confusion of overlapping tissue. During a tomosynthesis exam, multiple, low-dose images of the breast are acquired at different angles. These images are then used to produce a series of one-millimeter thick slices that can be viewed as a 3D reconstruction of the breast.
There are more than 8,000 breast cancer screening sites in the U.S. Nearly 5,000 have at least one digital mammography system. Less than 100 have installed this newest generation of digital mammography equipment. When University Healthcare Jefferson Medical Center opened it Women’s Imaging Center in 2011, it was the first hospital in West Virginia to offer 3D breast tomo.
“University Healthcare is committed to the fight against breast cancer,” stated Teresa McCabe, vice president of marketing and development. “By offering the latest in mammography technology at both of our University Healthcare medical centers, we hope to increase the number of area women who will be routinely screened,” she added.
Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death among women, exceeded only by lung cancer. Statistics indicate that one in eight women will develop breast cancer sometime in her lifetime. The stage at which breast cancer is detected influences a woman’s chance of survival. If detected early, the five-year survival rate is 97 percent.
For more information on University Healthcare’s ACR accredited digital mammography service, visit our web site at www.wvuniversityhealthcare.com or call the Berkeley Medical Women’s Imaging Center at 304.264.1287, ext. 31639 or the Jefferson Medical Women’s Imaging Center at 304.728.1648.
