From the July 2017 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine

A far less discussed benefit of 3-D imaging-guided breast biopsies, but an equally important topic, is the reduction in radiation dose that it offers. Previously, positioning and targeting required separate exposures with 2-D image-guided biopsies. Now, with 3-D imaging-guided biopsies, these steps are combined, reducing patient radiation exposure, an ever-present consideration for many of us in this field and also a concern among some patients.

Breast tomosynthesis in treatment
Another area where I have found breast tomosynthesis technology has begun to lend its superior imaging capability is surgery, specifically preoperative surgical staging. Breast tomosynthesis technology now allows doctors to more clearly view lesion margins during surgical staging, resulting in more accurate surgical excisions with less positive margins remaining and a subsequently lower rate of re-excision. Studies have found that breast tomosynthesis can reduce re-excision rates in breast surgeries by 50 percent — an impressive finding, in my eyes, that supports this application of the technology beyond screening.



Surgical staging allows my colleagues to plan their surgery in advance of the procedure to ensure the best results possible. Proper staging can reduce the chance for positive margins following an extraction, which can result in a local recurrence of the breast cancer, which will then require re-excision. By offering better views of lesion margins than with traditional 2-D mammography alone, surgical staging with BT reduces this re-excision rate, which, in turn, reduces costs to the health care system. Additionally, reduced re-excisions can have a tremendous impact on patients as well, as it prevents them from experiencing the emotional toll that undoubtedly coincides with learning they need to return for a second surgery to once again attempt to remove their cancer.

The future of breast tomosynthesis
As tomosynthesis continues to establish itself as the standard of care in breast imaging and as radiologists begin to recognize it as the “gold standard” for detecting breast cancer, I expect that we will begin to see the technology further integrated across other areas of breast health. From diagnosis to treatment, we have come a long way and seen that the benefits of BT are infiltrating the continuum of care. With clearer visualization and the ability to better detect, biopsy and surgically remove cancerous lesions, breast tomosynthesis has proven its value for both physicians and patients.

July 2017 Magazine

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