PORT TOWNSEND — Jefferson Healthcare has added new diagnostic equipment to sharpen detection of breast cancer.
The state-of-the-art 3-D mammography equipment will help find cancers early in their growth — and that could save lives, said Kate Burke, hospital spokeswoman.
Breast cancer screening with 3-D mammography, when combined with a conventional 2-D mammography, has a 40 percent higher invasive cancer detection rate than conventional 2-D mammography alone, Burke said.
“The stage at which breast cancer is detected influences a woman’s chance of survival,” she added.
“If detected early, the five-year survival rate is 98 percent.”
Fundraising benefit
The equipment was purchased after a fundraising effort by the Jefferson Healthcare Foundation — and a donation by a private foundation — that raised more than $350,000.
Randy Holeman, Jefferson Healthcare diagnostic imaging director, received in March final approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to use the equipment.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony March 25 celebrated the new equipment, located in a newly remodeled room at Jefferson Healthcare’s diagnostic imaging department.
“We believe 3-D mammography will benefit all screening and diagnostic mammography patients, and is especially valuable for women receiving a baseline screening, those who have dense breast tissue and/or women with a personal history of breast cancer,” Holeman said.
Breast tomosynthesis produces a three-dimensional view of the breast tissue that helps radiologists identify and characterize individual breast structures without the confusion of overlapping tissue, Burke said.
Advanced design
The system offers sharp breast images and an advanced ergonomic design to provide more patient comfort.
By offering women a more accurate technology in mammography, hospital personnel expect to increase the number of area women who will be routinely screened, Burke said.
That’s important because the 2014 Jefferson County Community Health Needs Assessment found that breast cancer was the second most common new cancer in Jefferson County.
It is the No. 1 most common new cancer in Washington state, Burke said.
Statistics indicate that one in eight women will develop breast cancer sometime in her lifetime, Burke said.
To schedule a mammogram, phone 360-385-2200, ext. 2101.
For more information about the hospital, see www.jeffersonhealthcare.org.
