It is your right to know your breast density and it is your choice to do something about it.
SonoCiné Locations
Know Your Breast Density
Dense breast tissue hides cancers making them more difficult to discover on the mammogram. Clinical studies demonstrated that SonoCiné found most of the cancers that were not visible on the mammogram.
A radiologist can determine the density of your breasts by examining your mammogram. Breast density can vary dramatically. Depending upon your physical make up, the time of your life or even the time of the month, your breasts may be mostly fatty or mostly dense. The mammogram can easily see abnormalities (that show up white) through fatty tissue which shows up dark on the mammogram. However, dense tissue shows up white on the mammogram so the white abnormalities are very difficult to detect.
Fatty Tissue |
Dense Tissue |
|
|
EASY-TO-READ MAMMOGRAM |
HARD-TO-READ MAMMOGRAM |
Cancer (white spot) is easily seen in the dark background of the fatty-breast mammogram |
Cancer (white spot) is difficult to see in the white background of the dense breast |
~60% OF ALL WOMEN |
~40% OF ALL WOMEN |
To learn about your breast density, ask your physician, the technologist, who performs your mammogram or your radiologist. If you have dense breasts, ask about having an additional SonoCiné ultrasound examination that can possibly find abnormalities that were not detected by your mammogram.
Know about the Breast Density Categories
Your radiologist uses the BIRADS (Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System) scale to determine breast density and to characterize the findings that are seen on your mammogram.
The American College of Radiology has established a standardized rating system that radiologists use in mammography reporting. In most cases, the mammography report that you receive will not contain your breast density nor the findings that are seen on your mammogram. If this is the case, ask your doctor to provide this information to you or, request a copy from your radiologist.
Every woman is responsilble for her own breast health.
The typical mortality rate for women whose cancers are found at 2cm is twice as high as it is for women whose cancers are found at 1cm or less.
Tumor Size and Breast Cancer Detection
Know About Breast Screening
More than 80% of breast cancers occur in women that have no risk factors at all.
For your own breast welfare, routine examinations are extremely important. A combination of self-examination, mammography and, if you have dense breast issue, a supplemental SonoCiné ultrasound, will help detect abnormalities at an early stage when they are easy to treat.
Breast Self Examination (BSE)
According to the American Cancer Society, women, beginning in their 20’s, should, every month, perform a self-examination to check for changes such as, a lump that was not there before, thickening in the skin and color changes.
The average size of cancer detected by BSE is about 1 inch or 2 ½ cm.
For more detailed information about BSE, go to:
Breast Awareness and Self Examinations (BSE)
Clinical Breast Exam (CBE)
A clinical breast exam is an examination that is performed by your gynecologist, nurse, nurse practitioner or physician’s assistant during your yearly gynecological appointment.
The average size of cancer detected by CBE is about 1 inch or 2 ½ cm.
For more detailed information about CBE, go to:
Clinical Breast Examinations (CBE)
Mammography
Mammography uses radiation to take an x-ray of your breasts. Issues of concern, show up white. It is advised that women, at age 35, should have their first baseline mammogram. At the age of 40, they should begin their yearly mammogram exams while continuing with their monthly Breast Self Exam (BSE) and yearly Clinical Breast Exam (CBE).
Mammography is still the standard of care for breast cancer screening. However, studies have shown that for dense breasted women, whose tissue shows up white on the mammogram, mammography may not be enough to see the abnormalities in this white tissue.
The average size of cancer detected in all women, by mammography is about 2/3 inch or 1.7cm.
NOTE: In fatty breast tissue the average is closer to 1/2 inch or about 1cm while in dense breasts, it is closer to 1 inch or 2cm.
For more detailed information about Mammography, go to:
Mammography
Supplemental Ultrasound
As stated by the American Cancer Society: “Ultrasound uses high-frequency sound waves to outline a part of the body. The sound waves are transmitted into the area of the body being studied and echoed back. These echoes are picked up by the ultrasound probe. A computer changes the sound waves into a picture that is displayed on a screen. You are not exposed to radiation during this test.”…. , “Ultrasound is very good at giving pictures of some diseases of soft tissues that do not show up well on X-rays,” meaning mammography.
Unlike mammography, where cancer shows up white; on ultrasound, cancer shows up black which makes it easier to detect cancers in dense breast tissue. Clinical Studies demonstrated that supplemental ultrasound finds significantly more and dramatically smaller cancers in dense breasted women than is possible than by relying on mammography alone.
The average size of cancer detected by supplemental ultrasound is less than 1/2 inch or 1cm.
Doctors and Staff Explain SonoCiné
SonoCiné’s clinical trials demonstrated that adding SonoCiné to the mammogram found twice as many cancers at half the size as mammography alone.
For more detailed information about Supplemental Ultrasound, go to:
SonoCiné Blinded Perspective Multi-Center Trial
A blinded, prospective, multi-center trial demonstrated that by adding a SonoCiné exam to the mammogram can find more and smaller cancers than mammography alone.
Published in European Radiology, March 2010
SonoCiné Reader’s Clinical Study
A blinded, prospective, multi-center trial demonstrated reproducibility and trainability of the SonoCiné device.
Published in European Radiology, October 2010
MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging)
As the American Cancer Society states, “An MRI scanner is a cylinder or tube that holds a very strong magnet weighing several tons. As you lie on a table within the tube, the device surrounds you with a powerful magnetic field. The magnetic force causes the nuclei (centers) of hydrogen atoms in your body to line up in one direction. Once the atoms are lined up, the MRI machine gives off a burst of radiofrequency waves. These waves cause the hydrogen nuclei to change direction. When they return to their original position, they give off certain signals that the scanner detects. Hydrogen nuclei in the body tissues change direction in different ways. A computer takes the signals from these changes and converts them into a black and white picture.”
“Contrast materials can be put in through a vein to improve the quality of the image. Once absorbed by the body, these agents speed up the rate at which tissue responds to the magnetic and radio waves. As a result, the signals produce stronger, clearer pictures.”
“Unlike X-rays or CT scans, MRI cannot detect calcifications (tiny mineral deposits that may suggest the presence of cancer) in tissues such as the breast. But special MRI machines, now available in some hospitals, are designed just for looking inside the breast. This is called an MRI with dedicated breast coils. Breast MRI is sometimes used along with mammograms or breast ultrasound to look for breast cancer.”
