Mammography

The FDA has given the American College of Radiology the authority to accredit the Siemens Mammomat digital mammography scanner as of Oct. 15. It is the last of the four FDA-approved full-field digital scanners to come under the ACR accreditation umbrella.

Near-infrared light used with ultrasound can zero in on early-stage breast tumors, potentially reducing the number of biopsies, according to a study in the October issue of Radiology.

The future is a murky thing, but predictions are not. Right or wrong, they leave no room for doubt, although the assumptions underlying them may be a little shaky.

Computed radiographic mammography, although widely available in Europe and Asia, is only now coming to the U.S. market, as major manufacturers hope to win FDA approval for their devices in the coming months, weeks, even days.

The ultrasound market in the U.S. stumbled last year, with the exception of hand-carried systems. Sales of ultrasound units were flat in 2004, but demand for handheld systems grew in the double digits, according to industry sources. The physicians driving those sales included not only radiologists but relative newcomers to the ultrasound fold such as surgeons and emergency room physicians.

Breast CT, on the drawing board for decades, is now in phase II clinical testing at the University of California, Davis. Begun in early summer, the second phase of the Breast CT Project will enroll 190 patients over the next few years. As of September, researchers had scanned 17 patients who had been identified through mammography as having BI-RADS 4 or 5 lesions. Fifteen lesions have been confirmed as cancer.

A two-year prospective study validates the impact of computer-aided detection in identifying invasive breast cancer at an ever earlier stage. CAD increased the cancer detection rate by 16.1% during the study, published in the October issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology.

Mammography study boosts CAD prospectsiCAD expands partnershipFDA approves Kodak mammography CADHospital chain taps AquariusNETSectra snags U.S. distributorFonar scores in GermanyEpix appoints interim CEOVital Images installs new execsDaiichi, GE strike agreementKereos bags $19.5 million financingMerge eMed marketing initiative pays offSonoSite signs veterinary distributor

A clinical imaging study published in The New England Journal of Medicine on Sept. 16 could spark substantial new demand for full-field digital mammography.

Digital mammography represents the last frontier for diagnostic imaging departments and imaging centers that have implemented PACS. For some imaging centers, particularly those specializing in breast imaging, digital mammography provides the catalyst for converting to digital image management. Many facilities that do not have the preparation or the staff to accomplish this transition seek a ready-made solution.

I3Archive specializes in cross-enterprise distribution and access of health images and data, using distributed archiving supercomputer technology. Its National Digital Medical Archive (NDMA) is a distributed database system currently containing approximately 500,000 digital mammography (and related) DICOM images, associated demographic and clinical data, and reports. The product's name was changed from National Digital Mammography Archive in May to reflect its inclusion of breast MRI and breast ultrasound images.

Studies have failed to provide a slam-dunk for digital mammography over traditional film x-rays, according to a recent technology assessment report from the ECRI group.

Digital mammography is more accurate than film in detecting cancer in women under age 50, those who have dense breasts, and in pre- and perimenopasual women, according to the long-awaited results from the Digital Mammography Screening Trial (DMIST).

Sixty-four slice CT makes all things radiologic better. The high spatial and temporal resolutions that work so well for cardiac imaging also improve other applications, especially vascular studies.

Thirteen years after its passage by Congress, the Mammography Quality Standards Act remains a sore subject for radiologists. While breast imagers unanimously agree that the MQSA has vastly improved mammography quality, they give the rule low marks for its cost and the burdensome details of compliance.

No doubt, the Mammography Quality Standards Act has improved the quality of breast imaging. As this month's cover story clearly establishes, long-time mammographers have seen a decided improvement in clinical practice since the MQSA was adopted in 1992.

A U.K. multicenter study has shown that a combination of MRI and mammography offers the best way of detecting breast cancer in women with a high genetic risk of the disease. The results add more weight to arguments for routine breast MRI for women carrying BRCA mutations and possibly for omitting mammography altogether.

A computer-aided detection and localization system could fine-tune diagnosis of small hepatocellular carcinomas with multislice CT, according to a study presented at the European Congress of Radiology in March.

A planned population-based breast screening program in China looks likely to benefit vendors of computed radiography mammography solutions. Organizers of an ambitious project to screen one million Chinese women for breast disease are assessing available technologies with a view to increasing orders.

Statistics can be remarkable things. They can identify the benefit of current actions or point to new paths for the future. The statistics released last week by researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York exemplify the former. Statistics that could be garnered from the use of healthcare IT exemplify the latter.

Stentor merges with PhilipsOne month after Philips Medical Systems announced its intention to buy Stentor, the Dutch company has completed the acquisition. The merger will strengthen Philips’ position as a primary supplier of healthcare IT. Philips previously had depended on Swedish IT specialist Sectra for its PACS and workstation products (DI SCAN 7/18/05). In announcing the acquisition, Philips claimed record quarterly revenue for Stentor over the past three months, highlighting 14 new customer contracts, including a seven-year contract renewal from Henry Ford Health System.

Clinical acceptance of novel breast imaging techniques could hinge on concurrent development of appropriate computer-assisted detection packages, according to speakers at CARS.

I saw the article that you coauthored on the digital breast imaging forum at SCAR ("Breast imagers come out swinging against digital mammography vendors," diagnosticimaging.com/scar2005/, June 7, 2005. An expanded version appears in the SCAR Conference Reporter, this issue, page 54). I am very happy that you were there and interested in digital mammography. Also, I am pleased that you described the struggles we are having on the clinical side so accurately.

In a delicate dance between open discussion and sheer frustration, all players in the digital mammography arena, from users to vendors, wrangled over evolving technology issues during a marathon forum at the SCAR meeting. Among the points of contention was the speed at which the technology is achieving consistent image quality standards.

Performing community-based screening for breast cancer may have no clear effect on reducing the rate of fatalities attributed to the disease, according to a study published in the July 20 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Regarding "Breast tomosynthesis trials show promise" (May, page 42), I thought you might be interested in a brief history of the development of digital breast tomosynthesis.

Studies have failed to provide a slam dunk for digital mammography over traditional film x-rays, according to a recent technology assessment report from the ECRI group.

One of the pioneers of digital mammography, Fischer Imaging, is exiting the market. The company has signed a definitive agreement to sell Hologic the intellectual property and customer lists of its mammography business and products. The cash purchase price of $32 million includes the rights to Fisher’s SenoScan digital mammography and MammoTest stereotactic breast biopsy systems.

Despite the increasing availability of commercial computer-assisted detection packages for breast screening, the technology remains unproven in the screening setting, according to a leading U.K. breast radiologist. Prof. Fiona Gilbert, a professor of radiology at the University of Aberdeen, is calling for a Europe-wide randomized control trial to prove the case for CAD as a second reader.

A significant number of breast cancers missed by mammography in the last decade may have been misclassified as benign lesions by ultrasound in the first place, according to a study presented at the 2005 American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine meeting.