South Australian women now have access to a new type of breast screen that can diagnose cancer more effectively than a regular mammogram.
Contrast-enhanced mammography (CEM) offers a significant advantage over traditional mammograms, particularly for women with dense breast tissue.
Radiologist Dr Shan Bau explained detecting cancer could be particularly difficult in some women.
“If you have a dense breast it is a little bit like looking for a polar bear in a snowstorm,” she said.
CEM addresses this issue by injecting a contrast dye into the patient’s arm, allowing only cancerous cells to show up on the mammogram image.
“It allows us to detect cancers at a very early stage regardless of the woman’s breast density.”
This new technology is as accurate as an MRI but can be a better alternative for patients who experience claustrophobia or have metallic implants like pacemakers.
Sarah Amadio, a 43-year-old from Stonyfell with a family history of breast cancer, is one of many women who have dense breast tissue, which makes it impossible to do self examinations.
She has been relieved to be able to use the new technology.
“It was so pain free and so quick and to know that there is that additional detection factor the peace of mind is completely worth it,” Amadio said.
The procedure takes approximately 30 minutes.
It currently lacks Medicare subsidies and costs about $250 out-of-pocket.
