Holy Redeemer Announces New Automated Ultrasound Examination to Enhance Screenings of Patients with Dense Breasts

Holy Redeemer Health System has unveiled a new screening option for patients with dense breasts.

Originally launched in November, 2014, Holy Redeemer was the first medical center in its region to introduce the FDA-approved Automated Breast Ultrasound (ABUS) for screening that can provide more accurate imaging in patients with dense breasts, resulting in enhanced screening, according to Catherine Carruthers, MD, FACS, a board certified surgeon and medical director of the Holy Redeemer Breast Health Program.

“ABUS is an important addition to Holy Redeemer’s comprehensive breast health program,” said Dr. Carruthers. “This new technology gives Holy Redeemer an important advantage in providing accurate screenings for patients with varying breast density, when used in conjunction with mammography.” A recent study showed that screening with ABUS in addition to mammography has a 55% relative increase in cancer detection, compared with mammography alone.

In 2013 Pennsylvania and many other states passed legislation that mandates women be notified if a regular screening mammogram indicates they have dense breasts. Holy Redeemer responded to the legislation by acquiring this new technology to improve detection of cancer in dense breasted patients.

For women with dense breasts, which have more glandular tissue than fat, detecting suspicious lumps can be challenging. On a regular mammogram, glandular tissue appears white – just as a mass can.

“It can be like trying to identify a snowball during a snowstorm,” Dr. Carruthers said. “Dense breast tissue makes it challenging for physicians to spot problems on mammograms. But with the addition of ABUS, radiologists are able to provide more reliable screening results.” Cancer appears black on ultrasound images, which may make cancer easier to see on ABUS.

Unlike 2-D or 3-D mammography, ABUS uses sounds waves, instead of radiation, to create 3-D pictures of the breast tissue, allowing radiologists to look through hundreds of breast tissue image “slices.”

That is important because women with dense breasts have an increased risk for developing breast cancer– so detection at the earliest, potentially most treatable stages is crucial, she added.

The FDA-approved ABUS screening tool is a service that must be ordered by a patient’s physician, but if so prescribed for women with dense breasts, it should be covered by most insurances. The exam using ABUS is relatively comfortable. The patient lies on her back while the ABUS makes detailed images of breast tissue. ABUS does not replace mammography. The radiologist reviews the ABUS screening images along with the patient’s mammogram.

For more information about Holy Redeemer’s comprehensive breast health program and the Automated Breast Ultrasound (ABUS) diagnostic imaging tool, call: 215-938-5700 or go online to: www.holyredeemer.com/mammogram.

About Holy Redeemer Health System

With an emphasis on providing a continuum of care, Holy Redeemer Health System remains true to the mission to care, comfort and heal that its sponsors, the Sisters of the Holy Redeemer, began in our region in 1924 – to provide high quality, compassionate care. Today, Holy Redeemer offers a wide range of healthcare and health-related services, including an acute care hospital, home health and hospice services, two skilled nursing facilities, personal care, a retirement community, low-income housing, an active living community, and a transitional housing program for homeless women and children. With corporate offices in Huntingdon Valley, PA, Holy Redeemer Health System is a Catholic healthcare provider, serving southeastern Pennsylvania and 12 counties in New Jersey, from Union County south to Cape May County.