Fifteen years ago, breast cancer was a private pain. Women suffered alone often oppressed by feelings of shame and humiliation. Today we celebrate our survivors and offer hope to millions of women through better treatment options and a strong commitment to regular screening procedures.

There is no doubt. Early detection is the key to winning the fight against breast cancer. We now know breast cancer has over a 95% survival rate when caught early. Monthly self-examination and regular annual mammograms are our best tools to ensure that no woman ever die needlessly from breast cancer.

The science of mammography has had a profound impact on improved survival rates for this devastating disease. Mammography’s primary benefit is in its ability to show with clarity the very small, delicate structures of breast tissue. In fact, mammography can show changes in the breast up to two years before a woman or her doctor can feel them.

Despite the important place mammography occupies in women’s imaging, the science has seen relatively few technological advances over the last decade compared with other fields. As technology exploded around us, offering remarkable advances in society as a whole and medical imaging particularly, many women have wondered why mammography has remained relatively unaffected.

The answer goes back to mammography’s primary benefit which is to show with clarity the very small, delicate structures of the breast. This requires a very high resolution image. Film is an excellent receptor to yield such an image. To computerize mammography, researchers needed to develop an image receptor that maintained or exceeded the resolution possible with film.

In 2000, that mission was achieved and the most important breakthrough in decades took place in mammography. Ten years in the making, the first digital mammography machine, called the Senographe 2000D, received FDA approval. The Senographe 2000D was developed by GE Medical Systems in close partnership with numerous federal agencies including the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Like standard mammography, digital mammography uses x-rays to produce images of the breast. However, instead of capturing an image on film, digital mammography sends the image directly to a computer within seconds. Once there, we can put the power of the computer to work. If we have a concern, we can zoom in, enhance the area and examine it more closely without having to take additional pictures. Exams are twice as fast with significantly less radiation exposure.

At EPIC Imaging we have used the Senographe 2000D at our East and West facilities since June 2000. The technology is truly remarkable. In essence once an image is acquired, we have all the information we need to make a diagnosis. By adjusting contrast levels we have been able to reveal early calcifications and very small cancers that might have been missed in the single contrast world of film. The technology is ideal for seeing through dense breast tissue and offers better visibility of the breast near the skin line and chest wall. Call backs have been virtually eliminated.

Despite the fact that the much dreaded compressions are still necessary with digital mammography, our patients are reporting the digital exam to be less stressful. The mammography technologist never has to leave them alone in the room to develop films and can confirm correct positioning in seconds. Exams are twice as fast and those anxious moments waiting for film to be developed are gone.

The goal in mammography has always been to identify breast cancers in their smallest form when they are most responsive to treatment and cure. Digital has and will continue to move us quickly to that goal.

The American Medical Association and the American College of Radiology recommend women have annual mammograms beginning at age 40. For more information on digital mammography click on our technology section, ask your doctor or visit one of these other helpful sites.

GE Medical Systems women’s site. www.hersource.com

The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. www.komen.org