3D Mammography for Breast Cancer Detection

Baptist Health Paducah: 3d Mammography

Radiologist JENNIFER BRIEN, MD explains 3D Mammography, known as Tomosynthesis, for breast cancer detection. Seeing dense breast tissue in thinner slices helps find smaller cancers earlier.

3D Mammography Health Talks Transcript

KELLY AUSTIN, Paducah
It is so easy for us to take care of our children’s needs and every need that they have we jump right on that. But we put ourselves on the back burner. We don’t tend to take care of ourselves like we do our children.

JENNIFER BRIEN, MD, Radiology
1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime and 3D tomosynthesis is our best tool for screening that has been introduced in the past 10-20 years. It allows the radiologist to look at the breast tissue in thinner slices rather than the standard views where all of the tissues are superimposed on itself. For women that have dense breast tissue is extremely helpful for separating out the breast tissue and finding the smaller cancers. One thing I know a lot of women worry about is the false positives. Most women jump to the conclusion that they have a cancer rather than a dense focus of breast tissue. So reducing the stress and anxiety is the best thing that we can offer to women on screening exams.

KELLY AUSTIN
For a woman who is hesitating on coming to get her mammogram there is absolutely no reason to, it is completely painless. I think then new technology of having 3D mammography available is just a wonderful steppingstone for women’s health. If it’s the best technology available then we should take advantage of it.