Hoag Offers State's First 3-D Mammogram

Editor's Note: We report on our own hospital most of the time, but this seemed worth sharing with readers due to its health impact potential as Breast Cancer Awareness Month winds down.

In a new effort to catch breast cancer early, in Newport Beach has begun offering 3D mammography.

According to Hoag officials, Hoag Breast Care Center is the first such facility  in California -- and one of a handful in the United States -- to use 3D digital breast tomosynthesis for screening.

Dr. Gary M. Levine, director of breast imaging at Hoag Breast Care Center, said the hospital had been involved in the development and testing of tomosynthesis since 2009.

“Recent reader studies have confirmed DBT to be superior to conventional mammography alone at finding early breast cancer," Levine said.

The FDA-approved technology enables radiologists to identify and characterize individual breast structures without being confused by overlapping tissue. According to Levine, 3D screening is extremely beneficial for women with dense breasts, which can obscure an underlying cancer, or mimic a cancer when none exists.

“Tomosynthesis, by solving the issue of tissue superimposition, will not only allow us to detect breast cancer more reliably, it will also reduce the number of unnecessary call-backs for additional testing,” Levine explained.

Breast cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death among women. One in eight women will develop breast cancer in her lifetime. Approximately 15 to 20 percent of breast cancers go undetected using traditional 2D mammography, experts say.

The new 3D technology was made possible through a grant from , a group of women who have raised funds for Hoag Family Cancer Institute since 1987. The technology will soon be extended to Hoag in Irvine.