SALEM, N.H. & PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Gamma Medica, a leader in molecular breast imaging (MBI) technology, today announced that Einstein Medical Center Philadelphia has committed to purchase Pennsylvania’s first clinical LumaGEM® Molecular Breast Imaging system. MBI is a secondary screening and diagnostic tool that is particularly useful for women who have dense breast tissue and women with a high risk of being diagnosed with cancer. It is a proven, effective supplementary screening method to standard mammography and/or tomosynthesis (3D mammography), significantly increasing early detection in women who are at a higher risk due to dense breast tissue.
Approximately 50 percent of U.S. women are reported to have dense breast tissue, but many women do not realize they have dense breasts and if they do, they may not understand what it means for their increased risk of breast cancer. Dense breast tissue is a risk factor and personalized screening is reported to be best practice in early detection. Because dense breast tissue and cancer both appear white on mammograms, cancer detection through mammography alone is difficult and may lead to false negatives or delayed diagnoses. Over 40,000 U.S. women die from breast cancer annually, making early detection imperative.
“We are thrilled to partner with the Marion-Louise Saltzman Women’s Center at Einstein Medical Center Philadelphia to increase access to state-of-the art MBI technology for women in Pennsylvania,” said Philip Croxford, Gamma Medica president and CEO. “Partnering with such a prestigious facility and installing a LumaGEM MBI system provides the opportunity to help women at risk in the Philadelphia area.”
While mammograms may fail to detect breast tumors due to tissue density, MBI highlights metabolic activity in these tumors despite breast density, leading to an earlier diagnosis. A breakthrough retrospective clinical study published in the August issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology confirmed MBI’s high incremental cancer detection rate: MBI was able to detect 7.7 cancers per 1,000 women screened compared to mammography. Approximately 85 percent of these cancers were node negative, meaning they were detected at an earlier stage and presented a better prognosis.
“Einstein Medical Center Philadelphia is thrilled to add Gamma Medica’s LumaGEM to our suite of leading breast imaging technology,” said Dr. Debra Somers Copit, director of breast imaging for Einstein Healthcare Network. “As a supplement to 3D mammography, MBI will help us detect cancers in dense tissue that may have been missed by mammography alone. We feel confident that LumaGEM will support our mission to provide the best diagnostic care for our patients—the data behind MBI speaks for itself.”
To educate women about breast density and breast cancer screening options, Gamma Medica launched the Be Certain educational campaign, which aims to provide the most accurate information for physicians, patients and caregivers. In addition to education, Gamma Medica is committed to increasing the number of accurate early breast cancer screenings through installations at major facilities like Einstein Medical Center Philadelphia. For more information, visit www.becertain.info.
About Gamma Medica, Inc.
Gamma Medica, Inc. is a women’s
health company focused on overcoming the limitations of anatomical
imaging experienced by mammography and other screening modalities in the
early detection of breast cancer. The company’s LumaGEM® MBI system is
the first commercially available, FDA-cleared, fully solid-state digital
imaging system utilizing dual-head Digital Direct Conversion Gamma
Imaging™ (DDCGI™) technology for molecular breast imaging. With over 90
percent sensitivity and specificity, LumaGEM MBI has been shown to
significantly improve cancer detection in women with dense breast tissue
with fewer false positives relative to anatomical imaging technologies,
such as MRI and whole breast ultrasound. For more information visit, www.gammamedica.com.
About Einstein Healthcare Network
Einstein Healthcare
Network marks its 150th anniversary in 2016, celebrating its
journey from a 22-bed hospital to a comprehensive network of health
providers serving Philadelphia and Montgomery County. Einstein leads the
way in breast health, obstetrics, heart and vascular care, and physical
medicine and rehabilitation, among other specialties. Started in 1866,
the Jewish Hospital was founded with a mission to provide a place for
Jewish doctors to treat patients and to care for any person in need,
regardless of race, religion, nationality or ability to pay. It was a
refuge for Jewish soldiers returning from the Civil War, freed slaves
and immigrants. Einstein has grown and thrived through a century and a
half of monumental changes in healthcare while maintaining its original
mission to provide care for all, an ethos that continues to guide the
network. Today, Einstein has 8,500 employees, three acute care hospitals
– Einstein Medical Center Philadelphia, Einstein Medical Center Elkins
Park and Einstein Medical Center Montgomery, MossRehab, a world-renowned
provider of physical medicine and rehabilitation, outpatient care
centers and a network of primary and specialty care physicians. Einstein
Philadelphia is the largest independent academic medical center in the
Philadelphia region, training over 3,500 health professional students
each year with 400 residents in more than 30 accredited programs.
Einstein Healthcare Network’s anniversary will be celebrated throughout
2016 with a series of employee and community events. For more
information, visit www.einstein150.com
or call 215-456-7200.
