BSGI/MBI Enhances Pre-Surgical Planning For Patients With Newly Diagnosed Breast Cancer

NEWPORT NEWS, Va., Nov. 30, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a new study, Breast-Specific Gamma Imaging (BSGI), also known as Molecular Breast Imaging (MBI), can provide critical information in the initial diagnostic workup and surgical planning for patients with newly diagnosed breast cancer. Adding BSGI/MBI to conventional imaging (CI), namely mammography and ultrasound, enhances pre-surgical planning. These findings will be presented at the 2011 Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) annual meeting to be held in Chicago, Nov. 27 through Dec. 2, 2011.

In a retrospective review of records at Scripps Clinic (San Diego, Calif.), BSGI/MBI confirmed, clarified or added to findings of conventional imaging in 75 percent of patients. BSGI/MBI identified an additional lesion or significantly changed management in 20 percent of cases. BSGI was unhelpful or led to an additional nine biopsies or work-up in 25 percent of patients. The study concludes that BSGI/MBI was found to be cost-effective, well-tolerated, and was a reasonably sensitive and specific adjunct modality for enhancing pre-surgical planning for patients with newly diagnosed breast cancer, especially in relatively young female patients with dense breast tissue. For this study BSGI/MBI was conducted with a high-resolution gamma camera, the Dilon 6800®.

"Based on our review of our first year's experience with breast cancer patients who had BSGI prior to undergoing cancer treatment surgery, we have a better understanding of the modality's strengths and limitations," said Marie Tartar, M.D., of Scripps Health.

"Like all breast imaging modalities, BSGI will not identify all cancers. However, we have found in selected patients needing further evaluation for persistent questions after conventional breast imaging work-up (mammogram and/or ultrasound), BSGI can be useful and may be the first modality to indicate the presence of a breast cancer. Based on our results, BSGI seems to be an acceptable alternative to pre-operative local staging of breast cancer, if additional imaging beyond mammography and ultrasound is indicated, and a patient cannot or prefers not to undergo MRI," said Tartar.

About BSGI/MBI

As a follow-up to mammography, BSGI/MBI utilizes the Dilon 6800® Gamma Camera to help physicians more clearly differentiate benign from malignant tissue. To perform BSGI/MBI, the patient receives a pharmaceutical tracing agent that is absorbed by all the cells in the body. Due to their increased rate of metabolic activity, cancerous cells in the breast absorb a greater amount of the tracing agent than normal healthy cells and generally appear as dark spots on the BSGI/MBI image.

About Dilon Diagnostics

Dilon Diagnostics, a brand of Dilon Technologies Inc., is bringing innovative new medical imaging products to market. Dilon's cornerstone product, the Dilon 6800, is a high-resolution, small field-of-view gamma camera, optimized to perform BSGI/MBI, a molecular breast imaging procedure which images the metabolic activity of breast lesions through radiotracer uptake. Many leading medical centers around the country are now offering BSGI/MBI to their patients, such as Cornell University Medical Center, New York, and The George Washington University Medical Center, Washington, D.C. For more information on Dilon Technologies please visit www.dilon.com.

SOURCE Dilon Diagnostics