Dr. Mary Lechner, medical director at the Park Nicollet Jane Brattain Breast Center in St. Louis Park, says the new Breast-Specific Gamma Imaging (BSGI) technology of the Dilon Technologies 6800 Gamma Camera provides a more detailed look at breast tissue after an irregularity has been found on a woman’s mammogram. Getting images of the breast with the camera is a lot like getting a mammogram, but there isn’t any compression, Lechner says.

“We use [the camera] for when problem-solving mammography and ultrasound are not enough,” Lechner says. “We can use it for when we’re looking at the extent of a disease. We can use it to look at [a wo-man’s] response to chemotherapy. We can use it for women who have had breast surgery.” This last point is important, because scar tissue from previous surgeries can make it difficult to detect cancer on a mammogram.

The procedure also is quick. The patient receives an injec- tion of a radioactive isotope and tracer. After it enters the blood stream, the isotope and tracer concentrates in tissue that has super-active mitochondria—or a higher metabolic rate—such as cancer cells. Within minutes of the injection, the patient is ready for the procedure.

“You sit in front of this little camera with your breast in place for four to five minutes in each [of four] positions,” Lechner says. “The gamma camera is basically counting the amount of radioactivity [in the breast]. It’s accurate to within a few millimeters. If there’s a really tiny cancer there that’s only three or four millimeters even, it will stand out compared to the background of the breast. You’re looking for areas of abnormal activity.” If the images show areas where there is more activity, the Breast Center team will investigate further, with ultrasound or, perhaps, biopsy.

The breast-specific equipment is another weapon in the doctor’s arsenal of cancer-fighting tools. “We’ve done these [gamma-imaging] tests for years, but we really haven’t had dedicated equipment [for breasts] until now,” Lechner says. She says that larger gamma cameras weren’t as accurate because they couldn’t be positioned close to a woman. MRI scans are also used to detect breast cancers, but Lechner says that because this procedure is very sensitive, the results include lots of little areas that look like abnormalities. Doctors have to spend time determining the status of each of these areas. MRI also can be problematic for patients who are claustrophobic or have metal plates or pins in their bodies.

“We’ve picked up many cancers [using BSGI] that were not visible on the mammogram or ultrasound,” Lechner says. “Or at least we’ve been convinced to do a biopsy because the BSGI was not normal. Or on the other hand, we maybe haven’t done a biopsy on some areas because the BSGI has been normal,” which saves the patient time, money, and worry.