BSGI/MBI Shows Greater Sensitivity and Comparable Specificity When Compared to Ultrasound and Mammography

NEWPORT NEWS, Va., Nov. 29, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- When compared to mammography and ultrasound, Breast-Specific Gamma Imaging (BSGI), also known as Molecular Breast Imaging (MBI), has greater sensitivity and comparable specificity according to a new study that 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. BSGI/MBI also proved to be a valuable adjunctive procedure when mammography and ultrasound fail to provide a confident breast cancer diagnosis.

"This study helped show the power of BSGI, especially in patients with indeterminate results on mammography or ultrasound," said Jean Weigert, M.D., first author on the study. "Many suspicious areas can show up on an ultrasound. BSGI helps us focus on the areas of true positive and determine where to biopsy."

Four institutions participated in the study to compare BSGI/MBI to mammography (MMG) and ultrasound (US) in patients who required diagnostic imaging due to clinical or radiographic findings.  The researchers on the study include radiologists Jean M. Weigert of Bradley Memorial Hospital in New Britain, Conn.; Margaret L. Bertrand of the Solis Bertrand Breast Center in Greensboro, N.C.;  Leora Lanzkowsky of Nevada Imaging in Las Vegas, Nev.; Lillian H. Stern of Methodist Hospital in Philadelphia.

For this study BSGI/MBI was conducted with a high-resolution gamma camera, the Dilon 6800®. It was concluded that BSGI/MBI has greater sensitivity and comparable specificity compared to ultrasound and mammography, and is a valuable adjunctive procedure when these anatomical imaging modalities fail to provide a confident diagnosis. BSGI/MBI is also a useful diagnostic modality to augment mammography in the management of patients with difficult to diagnose breast tissue, and in cases where unresolved clinical concern remains after a mammogram.

"The results of the study increase my confidence in BSGI as an imaging tool for breast cancer detection, pre-treatment disease extent workup, and post-treatment monitoring," said Dr. Leora Lanzkowsky. "It provides an alternative for patients unable to undergo MRI when needed. It raises the confidence level when a biopsy is considered, therefore helping to avoid unnecessary morbidity."

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.

Media contact: Kristine Brown
P: 847-528-2145
E: [email protected]

SOURCE Dilon Diagnostics