Great News for ARA...EUSOBI Breast Imaging Update 2006
Digital mammography and MR guidance promise new horizons at ECR’s back-to-back meeting
For the third time in a row, the European Society of
Breast Imaging (EUSOBI) held its annual scientific
meeting called Breast Imaging Update one day prior
to the annual ECR congress; the EUSOBI meeting
was this year presided over by Prof. Ingrid Schreer
from the Mammazentrum Kiel, Germany. The stateof-
the art scientific programme of the meeting, which
was traditionally held at the Austria Center Vienna,
attracted around 200 participants from all over
Europe and overseas.
The major topics of this one-day meeting included the latest developments in
digital mammography, which bring about new perspectives in breast imaging. The
key benefits of digital mammography are reduced radiation dose as well as the
implementation of so-called computer assisted diagnosis systems, which help
the radiologist find cancers. Another very challenging perspective of digital
mammography is tele-mammography, i.e. the possibility to send mammograms
to any workstation all over the globe in order to seek expert advice or second
opinions.
Part of the EUSOBI meeting was dedicated to the latest advances in breast intervention,
a growing and constantly developing field in this discipline. Percutaneous
image-guided biopsy is increasingly used as an alternative to surgical biopsy for
the histological assessment of breast lesions. Percutaneous biopsy is faster, less
invasive and less expensive than surgical biopsy. Improved biopsy needles allow a
better retrieval rate and better diagnosis.
A major change in breast imaging is currently being heralded by MR guidance
procedures. “Due to MR guidance, a lot of breast imagers will change their title to
‘MR guided breast therapists’, as we have the possibility not only to diagnose but
also to treat the cancer,” says Prof. Thomas Helbich from the Medical University of
Vienna (AKH) and EUSOBI Secretary General. “Offering numerous possibilities,
including focused ultrasound, laser therapy or cryotherapy, these new procedures
will open up the operating theatre for radiologists,” he adds.
One of the highlights of this year’s EUSOBI meeting included a session focussing
on how to avoid lawyers. The speakers at this important session revealed that
communication plays a central role in avoiding legal action by the patient. “If you
explain to your patients that mammography is not a tool that is 100% perfect,
they will be aware that something might go wrong, as is the case with anything
else done by human beings. As a radiologist you have to be a team player and
communicate with surgeons, oncologists and any other parties involved in order
to do the utmost to avoid cancer misses,” Helbich says.
At ECR 2006, breast imaging was also among the topics that were high up on the
agenda. The highlights discussed included MR imaging of the breast, breast
screening, interventional procedures as well as laser mammography, a new
radiological technique for the early detection of breast cancer that is currently
being clinically evaluated and tested in Europe and the United States. "Through
molecular imaging with laser an improved diagnosis of breast tumours has
become possible – and without the slightest exposure to radiation," Helbich says.
At the Medical University of Vienna first trials with around 800 female patients
were carried out – with highly promising results. In the last several years, the
technique has undergone considerable refinement, and the use of computed
tomographic systems in laser imaging has become possible. A computed tomographic
laser light-based scanner for the breast, called computed tomographylaser
mammography (CTLM), has been developed. The basic principle underlying
CTLM imaging is the fact that any malignant tumour requires neovascularisation
to grow beyond 2 mm in size. It does this by elaborating angiogenetic substances,
which stimulate the growth of structurally and functionally abnormal blood
vessels. This neovascularisation, which results in a greater volume of haemoglobin
in a confined area, can be visualised using absorption measurements of laser
light. Within the next years this method of early detection of breast cancer could
be an accessible alternative to mammography. Researchers are now working hard
to develop the ideal contrast agent for this novel imaging method.
For more information on EUSOBI and its upcoming activities, please visit
www.eusobi.org.