A new study slated for the June issue of Radiology found that breast-specific gamma imaging (BSGI) is as sensitive as MRI for detecting the presence of most cancers and is more sensitive for ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS).
Dr. Rachel Brem and colleagues at the George Washington University Medical Center in Washington, DC, enrolled 146 women in the study, all of whom underwent BSGI and breast biopsy (Radiology, June 2008, Vol. 247:3, pp. 651-657).
BSGI helped detect cancer in 96.4% of the noted malignant lesions. The technology's positive predictive value was 68.8%, its specificity was 59.5%, and the negative predictive value for nonmalignant lesions was 94.3%.
The technology found invasive cancers and DCIS as small as 1 mm, and in six study participants, BSGI helped detect hidden cancer that hadn't been caught by mammography or ultrasound.
Related Reading
Breast gamma imaging spots DCIS better than mammo, MR, August 13, 2007
ARRS study: Scintimammography shows high sensitivity in breast cancer detection, May 9, 2007
Copyright © 2008 AuntMinnie.com
