News

Breast bet to better care - 01 February 2010

A novel breast scanner which could distinguish between abnormal lumps and normal "lumpiness" is being trialled at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust.

The device, which comes from America, is being tested by only a handful of centres in the UK. It could mean women avoid having unnecessary mammograms which expose the breast to radiation.

Almost half of women under 35 attending our breast clinics believing they have a lump actually have an area of lumpiness instead, which is common and unlikely to be due to cancer.

A new palpation imaging (PI) scanner is being trialled to investigate whether it can accurately distinguish between the two and therefore provide a guide as to which cases need further investigation.

The PI scan, which is similar to having an ultrasound scan, generates a digital image of inside the breast detailing the estimated size, shape and firmness of the palpable mass, relative to the surrounding breast tissue.

The device objectively depicts what is felt by a consultant during a clinical breast examination.

Traditionally, the consultant records his/her findings with handwritten drawings and descriptive terms such as "dense" or "glandular".

Neither the drawings, nor descriptions are standardised and are therefore open to interpretation. It is hoped the PI scan will overcome this limitation.

Mr Dimitri Hadjiminas, consultant breast surgeon at the Trust and honorary senior lecturer at Imperial College London, is leading the trial.

He said: "The palpation imaging scanner has a number of exciting potential benefits.

"If it proves accurate in distinguishing between abnormal lumps and normal lumpiness, this could mean women with the latter avoid having unnecessary mammograms which expose the breast to radiation."

Patients participating in the trial receive all the usual investigations such as a clinical breast examination, and where necessary ultrasound scans and mammograms.

The scanner was bought thanks to a £10,000 donation from the charity Women in Dentistry.

ENDS

For further information contact Cassie Zachariou, communications manager, on 020 3312 2200 or by email at cassie.zachariou@imperial.nhs.uk.