Patient Stories

Janet, 43, was preparing for breast implant surgery. She wanted to restore symmetry to her breasts due to a lumpectomy 15 years earlier on a suspicious mass in her right breast. Janet had been diagnosed with fibrocystic breast tissue, and she always felt that her breasts were "lumpy." In self-exams she was often worried that she would not be able to feel a change easily. Regular mammograms remained clear and Janet stayed mindful and diligent about her self-exams.

Shortly before her scheduled breast implant surgery, Janet felt a new lump in her left breast. She went immediately to have a mammogram. A nurse practitioner indicated that the lump was likely a fluid-filled cyst that could be aspirated, but three other spots on the mammogram created cause for concern.

Her radiologist gave her mammogram a BIRADS IV rating based on these new areas-of-concern. This rating is used to indicate that the abnormality has a low, but not negligible risk of being malignant and biopsy is frequently needed to differentiate benign from malignant tissue.

Janet was unable to get a biopsy appointment for three weeks. With great concern, and a long wait ahead of her, Janet was scared. "The waiting was the most awful part. I couldn't have the biopsy done for three weeks, and then would have to wait longer for results. It was almost unbearable," she said.

Fortunately, Janet was able to schedule a BSGI procedure with the Dilon 6800^® at a site in Washington, D.C. Within days after her suspicious mammogram, Janet underwent the molecular breast imaging procedure. Within an hour she received the answer she was looking for: she was cancer-free according to the Dilon 6800 BSGI results.

"The test was simple, comfortable, painless — much more comfortable than a mammogram. I felt very comfortable with the results and reassured by the data. I felt that if there had been anything malignant there, then we would have seen it," she said.

Janet was advised to proceed with the biopsy, due to the suspicious nature of the mammogram results. Janet's biopsy results proved negative for cancer however, Janet is now considered at higher risk for developing cancer.

Since Janet proceeded with receiving breast implants, BSGI could prove to be an important part of her screening routine in addition to regular mammograms. Besides the fibrocystic breast tissue, Janet's implants could obscure a mammogram image. The BSGI procedure can see cancerous cells, regardless of their position in the breast or tissue density.

"I would recommend the BSGI procedure to anyone with a concern. When you are faced with the possibility of breast cancer, you want quick answers. Waiting for biopsy and the results is truly nerve-wracking, to put it lightly. The immediacy of BSGI was the most beneficial part for me," Janet said.

Toni's experience with breast cancer screening began long before she ever felt a lump. In 1994, Toni underwent treatment for thyroid cancer. Not long after radiation treatment, Toni's regular mammogram showed that she had developed microcalcifications in both her breasts, possibly related to the treatment. Toni and her doctor resolved to watch these carefully, since the radiation therapy she received placed her at a higher risk for breast cancer.

After Toni underwent thyroid cancer treatment again in 1996, she noticed a change in her left breast. Six weeks after a normal mammogram, she could feel a lump in her left breast. In three weeks time, this lump transformed from "nothing" into a 2 cm malignant tumor, about the size of a grape. After biopsy showed this tumor to be malignant, Toni underwent a lumpectomy, lymph node removal, and chemotherapy to treat her cancer.

Toni remained diligent in monitoring her own breast health. In 2001 she immediately noticed when a similar change occurred in her right breast. Toni could feel a lump and went immediately for a mammogram.

The mammogram revealed nothing new, even though Toni could feel the lump. Overall, she was not feeling well and was experiencing some itching in her right arm that further reinforced her belief that something was wrong. Toni proceeded to have an ultrasound, which did not uncover what she felt. She assisted the technicians in positioning the detector to help them find what she knew was there. Doctors did not believe that the 8 mm spot was anything to worry about and told Toni not to be concerned.

Toni believed there had to be another method available to help confirm her suspicions. She searched the Internet until she found Dilon. Clinical trials for BSGI with the Dilon 6800^® camera were underway at Johns Hopkins and George Washington University hospitals. Toni insisted that she participate in these studies. When she finally had BSGI, her suspicions were confirmed. The lump she felt was suspicious in the BSGI procedure and subsequent biopsy showed it was indeed cancer. "I was relieved to find out, and began treatment right away," she said.

Toni immediately received treatment, and underwent another lumpectomy and lymph node removal. Toni was relieved to have found her cancer, but was also disappointed in the limitations of mammogram and ultrasound. "If I had not taken the initiative to find another way to test, this tumor could have grown for three more years before it was detectable with a mammogram," Toni said.

Not all calcifications are related to malignancy and you should see your doctor if you have concerns. In addition, as mentioned in the previous section on imaging technologies, no test detects 100 percent of cancers. There can be both false-negative and false-positive findings with BSGI.