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New technology expected to increase the number of breast cancers detected early

In the fight against breast cancer, saving lives often comes down to detecting the cancer in its earliest stages. Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical Center is getting a boost in that direction with technology that is expected to increase the number of breast cancers detected early.

The Medical Center has a computer-aided detection (CAD) system, the R2 Image Checker, that the board-certified radiologists use to analyze mammograms for suspicious regions that may indicate cancer. Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical Center was one of the first facilities in central Kentucky to implement the R2 system.

The R2 system is expected to increase the number of breast cancers detected early, possibly by as much as 20 percent. In addition, the system is expected to detect up to 70 percent of cancers that would not be found without the system. 

"That’s a pretty significant increase in the number of cancers detected early," said Dr. Seth Sherman, a radiologist at Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical Center.

Since the system has been in place at Ephraim McDowell, it has already identified at least one incidence of breast cancer that could have been missed without the computer-aided detection system.

Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical Center performs about 7,000 mammograms each year. On average, about 50 cases of breast cancer are diagnosed at the Medical Center annually. 

The R2 system will be used to further examine mammograms after the radiologists have read the X-rays. It will be used to read all mammograms performed at the Medical Center as well as those done at Russell County Hospital, Fort Logan Hospital, Southtown Center and on the mobile mammography unit. The technology is so sophisticated that it will "flag" areas on the mammogram that may look suspicious or abnormal.

"Basically, this computerized system is looking over our shoulder to ensure that we don’t miss areas that may be suspicious," said Dr. Tim Whitt, a radiologist at Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical Center.

While the R2 system can detect suspicious lesions that may not be seen with a typical mammogram screening, it does not distinguish which lesions are benign or malignant. That diagnosis is reached through a biopsy of the suspicious tissue.

The purchase of the R2 system was made possible through donations to the Ephraim McDowell Health Care Foundation.

"Working with the Central Kentucky Cancer Program (CKCP), this year’s donations to the Foundation are targeted for the creation of a Cancer Care Center at the Regional Medical Center," said Harry Nickens, president of the Foundation. "The R2 equipment is an example of how contributions to the Foundation are really making a difference in the quality of health care in the region."

Mammography is just one of the three steps that women should follow to protect themselves from breast cancer. The other two are clinical breast exams (at least once a year) and monthly self-breast exams.