Oct 8, 2014 5 min read

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The 3-D mammography unit has been up and running since May 1 at the Washington Women’s Center. The 3-D mammography machine creates a three-dimensional view of the breast tissue from different angles. Then the radiologist can view the breast in small layers to find cancers that could be hidden in tissue.

Katie Roupe/Observer-Reporter

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Michelle McIlvaine, manager of imaging at the Washington Women’s Center, looks through examples of three-dimensional mammography on the software. Studies show that the machine can detect invasive breast cancers at a 40 percent higher rate than a traditional two-dimensional exam.

Katie Roupe/Observer-Reporter

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The breast images from the 3-D mammography machine can be viewed at different angles to expose any cancers hidden behind tissue. The 2-D machines produce four images of the breast, but the new 3-D can produce up to 800 images.

Courtesy of Washington Women’s Center

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The new 3-D mammogram can help expose cancerous cells. The American Cancer Society recommends that women at average risk for breast cancer have a mammogram every year starting at the age of 40.

Courtesy of the Washington Women’s Center

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Early detection of breast cancer – when it’s most treatable and survivable – is key to fighting the disease.

In fact, women have a 96 percent survival rate when breast cancer is detected early and is still localized in the breast.

The Washington Health System’s Washington Women’s Center has added a state-of-the-art weapon in the fight against breast cancer: a three-dimensional mammography machine.

The Washington Women’s Center is the first facility in Washington County to offer the new technology.

“We could not be more excited about this,” said Michelle McIlvaine, manager of imaging at the Washington Women’s Center. “Early detection is so important and this gives us an edge in early detection.”

Studies reviewed by the Food and Drug Administration, which approved the 3-D mammography machine in 2011, show that 3-D mammography can detect invasive breast cancers at a 40 percent higher rate than a traditional two-dimensional exam.

The 3-D mammography, also called tomosynthesis, has been available at the Women’s Center since May 1, and McIlvaine said hospital radiologists have already found cancers in patients that they would not have detected using 2-D technology.

A 3-D mammography screening produces a three-dimensional view of the breast tissue by taking laser-sharp images of the breast in thin slices, or layers, from different angles and then combining them together to create a more accurate image of the breast. The radiologist can view the entire breast in 1-millimeter layers, spinning and flipping the images on the computer screen to find cancers that might be hidden in tissue and lymph nodes.

“The 3-D allows us to look at each of those layers at different levels and see if it’s normal breast tissue, or if it’s something we need to be concerned about. Two-dimensional is like looking at a book and seeing the cover. It’s flat. Three-dimensional is like looking at every page of the book,” said McIlvaine.

The difference between 2-D and 3-D images is significant, says McIlvaine: The 2-D machine typically produces four images of the breast from two positions. The new 3-D machine can produce up to 800 images.

However, the 3-D image does not replace the standard 2-D mammogram. It is used in conjunction with the 2-D, which the American Cancer Society considers the gold standard in detecting calcifications, which can indicate very early breast cancer, and allows radiologists to compare images from previous years.

So, women who visit the Women’s Center receive a 2-D mammogram – which is still good technology – and can add a 3-D mammogram for $50.

McIlvaine said the patient experience for a 3-D mammogram is almost identical to a standard mammogram, and the duration of the exam and amount of compression required do not significantly change, even though the 3-D screening produces more detailed and extensive images.

Another benefit of 3-D mammograms, said McIlvaine, is that they reduce the number of callbacks for suspicious or false positive test results. With conventional mammography, about 10 percent of women are called back for additional tests, such as a sonogram, because of something suspicious. According to McIlvaine, 80 percent of women who get callbacks at the Washington Women’s Center do not have cancer.

“That’s a lot of anxiety we’ve caused to women because of the inability to see through structures with 2-D mammography,” said McIlvaine.

The American Cancer Society recommends that women at average risk for breast cancer should have a mammogram every year starting at age 40, and a clinical breast exam every three years from ages 20-39.

Not all insurers cover the cost of the 3-D screening, however. That means many women requesting a 3-D mammogram will pay an out-of-pocket expense. It is done only at the patient’s request, McIlvaine said. The charge for a conventional mammogram is billed to the patient’s insurance.

Medical professionals hope that more insurers end up covering 3-D imaging because, they believe, although 3-D mammograms cost more up front, the test’s ability to detect invasive cancers will lead to cost savings by eliminating the need for costly followup visits and additional tests required by a false positive test.

“I think everybody should get it, I really do.” said McIlvaine.

The 3-D mammograms are recommended for women with dense breast tissue and women with a family history of breast cancer.

McIlvaine said patients often ask if they are exposed to more radiation in a 3-D mammogram, and her answer is yes, but not much more than a conventional digital mammogram. The radiation dosage is safely below the guidelines approved by the American College of Radiology.

Washington Women’s Center has 11 technologists and four radiologists on staff at its Leonard Avenue facility, which performs about 18,000 breast imaging exams a year.

The center is moving to a state-of-the-art facility in South Strabane Township in 2015.

For information on the 3-D mammography at the Washington Women’s Center, call (724) 223-3313.