Mobile molecular breast imaging rolls into Wisconsin
Marshfield Clinic Health System in Wisconsin has acquired technology that, it says, will make it the world’s first provider of mobile molecular breast imaging (MBI) services.
The 50-location system announced Oct. 27 that it will install Gamma Medica’s LumaGEM technology inside a vehicle slated to travel between Marshfield Clinic sites in five Badger State cities.
A joint news release issued by the clinic and Gamma Medica touts MBI’s ability to highlight metabolic activity in tumors hidden by, or masking as, dense breast tissue.
“No longer forced to use a ‘one size fits all’ approach for breast cancer detection, our imaging protocol will now be personalized,” James Kinsella, MD, a Marshfield clinic radiologist, said in prepared remarks.
Added Marshfield CEO Susan Turney, MD, “[W]e hope to inspire health systems and hospitals to continue to expand their mobile medical programs.”
The news release cites studies showing that the addition of MBI for women with dense breast tissue results in a nearly 400 percent increase in invasive breast cancer detection rates, 50 percent reduction in biopsies and a subsequent 15 percent lower cost per cancer detected than screening with mammography alone.
Dave P. has worked in journalism, marketing and public relations for more than 30 years, frequently concentrating on hospitals, healthcare technology and Catholic communications. He has also specialized in fundraising communications, ghostwriting for CEOs of local, national and global charities, nonprofits and foundations.