| A routine breast examination is advised for all women | | | | The malignancies that are identified during diagnoses |
| to identify any suspicious lumps so that breast cancer | | | | form an important aspect in determining the |
| detection is made as early as possible. Mammography | | | | treatment to be administered. Sometimes, the |
| is the most common first line screening tool for | | | | gamma imaging may provide crucial information that |
| breast cancer. But in some cases, mammography | | | | necessitates important differences in the therapy. |
| may miss some abnormalities, especially if the | | | | Mammography relies hugely on the structure of the |
| woman’s breast tissue is dense. Sometimes | | | | breast to identify cancers. Breast specific gamma |
| dense breast tissue and cancers may appear similar in | | | | imaging, on the other hand, tracks the uptake of a |
| mammography. | | | | radiotracer or a dye by breast cancer cells. The BSGI |
| So, a lump that may be felt manually may appear as | | | | technology uses a special dye that is injected |
| normal breast tissue when screened through | | | | intravenously. The absorption rate of the dye by |
| mammography which may then lead to a biopsy to | | | | normal breast tissue and cancerous tissue vary |
| confirm cancer. But now, even the cancerous tissue | | | | significantly and it is this property that helps identify |
| that mammography misses can be identified by a | | | | breast cancer. A gamma camera is used to track the |
| new diagnostic technique called breast specific | | | | dye and the malignancies or lesions are identified |
| gamma imaging. | | | | digitally. |
| This is different from mammography, sonography or | | | | The diagnostic procedure is also comfortable |
| MRI. The imaging in breast specific gamma imaging is | | | | compared to other methods. The woman only needs |
| not anatomical, but functional. It is also much superior | | | | to be seated comfortably and the entire procedure is |
| to traditional screening methods because gamma | | | | over within 40 minutes. The results can also be read |
| imaging picks up cells that are beginning to act | | | | immediately. Breast specific gamma imaging is |
| cancerous even before the abnormality becomes | | | | especially useful to detect breast cancer in women |
| advanced enough to be visible on a mammogram or | | | | who have dense breast tissue, breast implants or |
| a sonogram. | | | | scar tissue. In such cases, a mammogram may be |
| Even in women who are diagnosed with Breast | | | | hard to read and gamma imaging can come in quite |
| Cancer using other methods, breast specific gamma | | | | handy. |
| imaging may prove beneficial because it can highlight | | | | In fact, about 20 percent of the women who have |
| other malignant lesions that might have been missed | | | | breast cancer have normal mammogramreadings. The |
| by the mammography or the physical exam. | | | | significance of BSGI is not to be underestimated. |