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New technology is making a difference in finding breast cancer, and leading to more effective screening, Dr. Nicole Nelson explained Monday, kicking off Breast Cancer Awareness month.
Nelson, specializes in neuroradiology and cardiac imaging, and practices with Lima Radiological Associates, Inc. A Mercer County native, she is medical director of the Radiology Department at St. Rita's Medical Center. Nelson is genuinely impressed by new 3-D imaging technology, in ways she hasn’t previously been in her career.
“It’s the first technology in my career where I’ve said, ‘Wow! That’s fantastic!’ The cancer just pops out on the screen,” Nelson said.
A 2-D mammogram provides four pictures, while a 3-D image provides hundreds, and allows a doctor to see into slices of breast tissue. Essentially, cancer that hid before can now be seen. That has meant better diagnosis earlier, and it has also meant fewer false positives and fewer times patients have returned for further testing.
With 2-D, doctors would often require follow up visits with other kinds of tests, just to rule out cancer, increasing costs and contributing to unnecessary worry, Nelson said. Early studies are showing a 15 percent decrease in recall.
Breast cancer, in early stages, has a 99 percent survival rate, and 3-D imaging helps find cancer when it’s small, so small that a patient can’t feel a lump, Nelson said. It also helps detect cancer in dense breast tissue, which 50 percent of women have. While dense tissue isn’t a concern in itself, women with dense breast tissue have a higher risk of breast cancer.
In other business Monday:
Carol Buettner announced that the coming quarter’s Rottery drawing will benefit St. Rita’s Medical Center Mercy Club work, honoring the legacy of Jonalee Schmidt, who died in September. Schmidt created Rottery as a 50/50 raffle to benefit community nonprofit groups and was a 2010 Mercy Club award winner. Buettner, president of the St. Rita’s Medical Center Foundation, encouraged members to go into their pockets this quarter for a record donation to honor Schmidt’s work and memory.
Dick Schroeder shared a video on medial mission work in Africa, and promoted the Every Rotarian, Every Year program.
Tracie Sanchez needs volunteers for the upcoming Blood Clinic Nov. 5.
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