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Chicago-area Hospital Now Offers MRI-Guided Biopsies to Diagnose if Breast Abnormalities Are Cancerous

Wednesday, October 1, 2008 General News
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EVERGREEN PARK, Ill., Oct. 1 Radiologists at LittleCompany of Mary Hospital, helping to diagnose breast cancer in women, are nowperforming MRI-guided breast biopsies in addition to other image-guided breastbiopsy procedures.
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Once a lump or abnormality is detected in a patient's breast during thecourse of a routine physical examination, mammogram, or other imaging study, abreast biopsy may be ordered to determine whether the growth is benign orcancerous. During a biopsy a needle is inserted into suspicious tissue in thepatient's breast in order to remove a small sample. Image-guided breastbiopsies help physicians performing the procedures locate abnormalities thatmay be too small to be felt.
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MRI-guided breast biopsies utilize magnetic resonance imaging, a techniquethat has been commonly used by physicians to diagnose other medical conditionsfor nearly 30 years, to help diagnosticians guide their instruments intobreast abnormalities that are too small to be seen even by mammogram orultrasound. Unlike stereotactic biopsy, MRI-guided breast biopsy does notexpose patients to any radiation.

According to Dr. Olga Ivanov, the only fellowship-trained female breastsurgeon in Chicago's Southwest area and medical director of Little Company'sComprehensive Breast Health Center, "Not every cancer can be detected by amammogram. If the cancer cannot be seen on a mammogram, we cannot biopsy itwith a stereotactic procedure."

Patients undergoing MRI-guided breast biopsies are subject to no otherrisks or side effects than those undergoing more traditional procedures.According to Kate Erickson, B.S., RT(R)(MR)(CT) supervisor of Little Company'sMRI Department, "There is a lot of confusion about magnetic resonance imaging.There is no radiation involved with MRI. Even so, we sense some patients needan extra bit of reassurance, and we provide that."

At Little Company of Mary, all of the providers working on a patient'scase -- from radiologists to pathologists to medical oncologists andsurgeons -- work together as a comprehensive, integrated team to mosteffectively diagnose (and in instances where a growth is found to becancerous, to treat) the patient's condition. "Every woman needs a trulyindividualized treatment plan, and at Little Company we provide that," Dr.Ivanov said. "Little Company is a very compassionate place," Erickson added."I get so many comments from patients who feel like they're not forgotten whenthey come here."

Little Company has developed a Web site(http://www.PursuingPainFreeCancer.org/breastcancer) to help women learn aboutbreast cancer and evaluate their own breast cancer risk. Knowing one's riskcan significantly improve a woman's chance for surviving breast cancer. Thesize of a breast cancer and how far it has spread are the most importantfactors in predicting a patient's prognosis. The earlier breast cancer isfound, the better the chances that treatment will work.

To learn more about Little Company of Mary and its expert teams ofsurgeons, oncologists, and diagnostic radiologists, or to take the free breastcancer risk test, visit http://www.PursuingPainFreeCancer.org/breastcancer .

This release was issued through eReleases(TM). For more information,visit http://www.ereleases.com.For more information, contact: Kelly Cusack [email protected] (708)229-5049

SOURCE Little Company of Mary Hospital
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