For more than 27 years, South Shore Women's Health Care, an OB/GYN practice serving Southwestern Michigan in St. Joseph, has brought the community cutting edge technology in the realm of health care. Now, the South Shore team is excited to offer, for the first time ever, 3D mammography…or breast tomosynthesis…for breast cancer screening.
Dr. Rachael Proctor is a physician at South Shore Women's Health Care. She says, "3D mammography is state-of-the-art technology, and we are proud to be the first in this area to offer it to patients." She tells us that breast tomosynthesis produces a three-dimensional view of the breast tissue that helps radiologists identify and characterize individual breast structures without the confusion of overlapping tissue.
During a tomosynthesis exam, multiple low-dose images of the breast are acquired at different angles. Those images are then used to produce a series of one-millimeter thick slices that can be viewed as a 3D reconstruction of the breast. As Dr. Proctor notes, "Unlike conventional digital mammography, 3D mammography detects 41-percent more invasive breast cancers, reduces false-positive recalls by up to 40-percent, and detects cancer, on average, 15 months earlier." She adds, "When 1 of every 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer at some point in her life, this technology can help make a remarkable difference because, if detected early, breast cancer can be cured."
The new 3D mammography equipment installed at South Shore Women's Health Center is manufactured by Hologic, one of the major companies servicing the women's healthy industry. It is becoming more prevalent in markets throughout the U.S., and across the globe.
South Shore now offers the more comfortable and convenient technology right here in St. Joseph. National organizations, including the American Medical Association, American Congress of Obstetricians & Gynecologists, American College of Radiology, National Comprehensive Cancer Network, and Society of Breast Imaging, support annual screening mammography for women 40 years of age and older. Some women at higher risk, such as those with a family history of breast cancer, should start earlier.
South Shore Women's Health Care is located at 2690 S. Cleveland Avenue in St. Joseph and can be reached by phone at 269-428-2800.
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