This will help improve patient comfort and encourage more women to go for their mammograms.

 

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in Singapore and the chances of developing breast cancer increase with age. In Singapore, more than 80 percent of breast cancer cases are in women aged 45 and over, but the majority in this age category have not received a breast screening in the past two years, according to the National Registry of Diseases Office.

While the best chance of early detection of breast cancer is through a mammogram, for many women, the number one reason they do not schedule a mammogram is because of fear and anxiety from the potential result and exam discomfort. In view of this, Parkway Pantai has introduced the latest GE Healthcare 3-D mammogram technology in Singapore at its Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital, with the hospital being the first recipient of this new technology in ASEAN.

Designed with GE’s leading imaging technology advancements, and inspired by empathy for women, the new 3-D mammogram aims to address the pain and anxiety commonly caused by mammograms by seeking to improve patient comfort during detection. Supporters of 3-D mammography say this technology “significantly improves breast cancer detection while simultaneously reducing recall rates over conventional 2-D mammography”, according to a “South China Morning Post” article in October 2013.

In addition to patient comfort, GE’s new mammography technology delivers higher quality 3-D mammogram images at the same low radiation dose as a conventional 2-D mammogram. Explained a GE representative, though the machine takes a total of nine projections, each projection view is “acquired at a fraction of the radiation dose” meaning that the dose is not nine times more. Patient set-up takes between two to five minutes and results are available on the next working day.

As of press time, three individuals above the age of 45 have used this new technology. For those looking at going with this new technology, be advised that this 3-D mammogram does not come cheap – it costs around S$480 compared to 2-D, which costs around S$212.

 

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