At UConn’s Carole and Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center, patients with breast cancer receive highly personalized, state-of-the-art care from experts who specialize in every dimension of treatment — including screening, imaging, diagnosis, surgery, reconstruction, chemotherapy, radiation oncology, and rehabilitation.
Recently, UConn also became the first hospital in the region to introduce the cutting-edge 3D breast imaging technology of breast tomosynthesis. This state-of-the-art screening and imaging tool offers a more complete picture of the breast, and it has been proven to reduce the number of call backs for additional screenings by almost half, according to Dr. Alex Merkulov, section head for women’s imaging at UConn Health Center.
How does it work? Breast tomosynthesis is a digital mammography system which takes multiple thin slices images of the breast from a variety of angles. These images are then used to reconstruct a 3D picture of the breast, which allows radiologists to examine breast tissue one layer at a time.
Additional services for women with breast cancer at UConn Health Center include special assistance from a nurse navigator, access to promising clinical trials, services to help manage fatigue during treatment, emotional support, and access to the American Cancer Society’s vast resources.
For the patient, a tomosynthesis exam is quite similar to a traditional digital mammogram, in which the breast is compressed and images are taken from different angles. Additionally, the entire length of the procedure takes approximately the same amount of time as a digital mammogram.
“With breast tomosynthesis, radiologists can see breast tissue detail in a way that wasn’t possible with two-dimensional digital mammography,” Merkulov says. “And this more precise view of the tissue means higher cancer detection rates and better visualization of lesions because the finer details are no longer hidden by the surrounding tissue.”
Breast tomosynthesis is especially beneficial for patients with dense breast tissue. “This new technology helps us see through especially dense breast tissue, reducing the number of call backs for extra pictures for these patients,” Merkulov says.
Starting at age 40, every woman should get a yearly mammogram, according to the American Cancer Society. And for those who have a family history of breast cancer should begin this form of cancer screening five to 10 years earlier.
“It’s really important to stay on top of your mammograms; we know that mammograms help decrease your risk of dying of breast cancer by over one-third,” says Merkulov. “We want to catch breast cancers as early as possible — before there’s a mass you can feel — and mammograms are the way you can do that.”
Follow the UConn Health Center on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
