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Needle Biopsies
One of the most significant advances in diagnosing breast tumors has been needle biopsies. Rather than a woman having to undergo surgery, radiologists can perform a variety of minimally invasive needle biopsies that involve only a small incision, performed in an outpatient setting, and provide the patient an accurate and quick diagnosis.

PEM
SMIL is the only imaging provider in Arizona to offer PEM (Positron Emission Mammography) a 3-D molecular imaging exam that can detect breast cancer as small as a grain of rice. Cancerous cells absorb and accumulate sugar much faster than healthy tissue, which is what a PEM scan keys in on. A sugar-based radiotracer is injected into the abnormal tissue. PEM then takes a “snapshot” of the cellular activity within the mass to not only reveal the shape, size and location of a suspicious mass, but to also provide more than 90 percent accuracy in identifying if the mass is cancerous.

PEM is typically used as a complement to breast MRI – combined the two studies provide the highest overall accuracy rates in sensitivity and specificity. Using the information from a PEM scan allows physicians to determine the best treatment options and helps doctors locate and remove all suspicious tissue during surgery.

Radiologist Christopher May believes in this new technology. “Our own experience with PEM confirms what research studies have shown — while it does not replace an MRI, it is an excellent technique to use in addition to MRI in these women,” May says. “It most significantly helps to cut down on the number of false alarms that lead to negative biopsies, and also will occasionally find a cancer that cannot be seen well with other methods. We expect it to become a routine and valuable tool in our breast imaging practice.”

 

To schedule your annual screening mammogram, call SMIL at 480.425.5030 or book your appointment online www.getamammo.esmil.com.