Four Cedar Rapids organizations now offer 3D mammography

Four Cedar Rapids health organizations now provide the latest technology for breast cancer screening - 3D mammography.

Mercy Medical Center in Cedar Rapids, OB-GYN Associates, Radiology Consultants of Iowa (RCI) and UnityPoint Health-St. Luke's Hospital have purchased the equipment, which its leaders said can detect breast cancer at an earlier stage.

They announced the equipment at a media conference on Monday.

The technology takes a series of images in 1 millimeter increments that are then compressed into a composite to form a more complete image of the breast. This helps physicians find cancers that are smaller and more difficult to see on standard digital mammograms.

It would be as if someone put a raisin in a loaf of bread and then tried to photograph it, explained Dr. Arnold Hornick, a radiologist at RCI and the medical director at UnityPoint Health-St. Luke's Breast and Bone. The raisin may not be visible by just looking at the bread, he said, but if one were to cut the bread into thin slices, it would become easier to spot.

Dr. Laura Hemann, a radiologist at RCI and the medical director at Mercy Women's Center, said 3D mammograms have been in operation for about five years.

Since then, studies have found that they have lead to a 41 percent increase in detection of invasive cancers, a 29 percent increase in detection of all breast cancers and a 15 percent decrease in recall rates, which occur when a woman may have to come back for additional testing.

'Early detection is key,” Hemann said. 'As mammograms improve, survival rates will go up.”

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women, according to the American Cancer Society. The group estimates that 40,000 women will die from breast cancer in 2014.

Both Ted Townsend, president and chief executive officer of St. Lukes, and Tim Charles, president and CEO of Mercy, praised the facility-wide effort.

'You don't have to worry about where you go,” Townsend said. 'This technology enhances care everywhere.”

Charles pointed out that the health organizations also came together in 2006 to bring digital mammography to the community.

The new equipment is a large investment, with each machine costing between $400,000 to $500,000. Physicians also have to undergo eight hours of continuing medical education to use it.

Insurance companies do not yet cover the 3D screenings, due to their newness, Hornick said, adding that most will start in January. The procedure can cost between $40 to $60, he said, but there are funds available for women who need financial assistance.

Becky Albert of Atkins already has experienced the benefit of this new technology. Albert said she went for her yearly mammogram in May, where she elected to get a 3D mammogram.

The screening revealed a small tumor, which Albert had surgery to remove in June at Mercy Medical Center. She now is preparing to start radiation therapy.

'Without that mammogram, the tumor may not have been caught,” she said. 'If you catch things early, you've got options to take care of it.”