PET developer Naviscan said it will introduce its positron emission mammography (PEM) scanner to the European market at the European Congress of Radiology (ECR) and the European Society of Breast Imaging (EUSOBI) annual meeting, both being held this week in Vienna.
The PEM scanner, which can show the location as well as the metabolic phase of a lesion, will be available for sale in Europe in the second quarter of 2011, according to Naviscan.
The company is also touting a poster presentation at ECR about new clinical data on the role of PEM for assessing axillary lymph node status in patients with breast cancer.
Researchers at the University of Chicago Medical Center enrolled 20 newly diagnosed patients with breast cancer in a prospective study to evaluate lymph node assessment. The patients underwent mammography, breast and axillary ultrasound, breast MRI, and PEM examinations. Suspicious lymph nodes were evaluated and final axillary lymph node status was determined via pathology.
The PEM exam demonstrated 88% sensitivity with a negative predictive value of 91%, according to Naviscan. The data also showed improved lesion detectability and a decrease in background activity.
