Breast cancer makes up 25% of all new cancer diagnosed in women globally making it the 2nd most common form of cancer in the world, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS). In US, 1 in 8 women will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of her lifetime. Developing nations are also facing the wrath of this disease since years.
Rising Incidence
Almost 50% of breast cancers in India are detected in stage 3 or 4, wherein the survival rates are low.In India, breast cancer is a growing epidemic with just 66% five-year survival rate, one of the lowest in the world, making breast cancer as the number one cancer affecting Indian females. Each year, an estimated 1.5 lakh new cases of breast cancer are diagnosed in India. The primary reasons behind the high incidence (32 per 100,000 women) and high mortality rate in India (12.7 per 100,000 women) are low awareness of early signs and late diagnosis of breast cancer resulting in more than 50% of cases being detected in advanced stages. Increased urbanization and adoption of western lifestyles has shifted the average age of death due to the disease from 30 to 50 yrs, making early diagnosis pertinent in controlling the mounting prevalence of breast cancer.
Diagnostic Tools
The most widely used method for detecting/diagnosing breast cancer is mammography but often smaller cancerous lesions are left undetected especially in women with dense breast tissues. Hence, clinicians are deploying supplemental imaging tests such as ultrasound techniques for breast cancer detection as it provides excellent image quality, enhances diagnostic accuracy in challenging scenarios, and aids in needle guidance for biopsies.
Dr. Prashant Karajgi, National Clinical Marketing Manager, Philips Healthcare quips that “For every 2 women newly diagnosed with breast cancer, one woman dies of it in India. So, early and accurate detection (first time right) would be the best solution for developing nations like India. Philips Healthcare has always played an intensive role in providing ultrasound solutions for breast cancer. For empowering clinicians to effectively detect and treat breast diseases, we have developed a comprehensive set of solutions known as ‘The Ultimate Ultrasound Breast Solutions’ which augments early diagnosis and improves diagnostic confidence thereby making it a very suitable breast assessment solution for India.
The Ultimate Breast Solution
Dr. Prashant says “Philips already had solutions which helped in accurate diagnosis, comprising of 3 major components – wide array of high frequency linear transducers, strain elastography and contrast enhanced ultrasound capabilities. But now we have gone steps ahead and introduced new components to help clinicians make confident clinical decisions.”
The Ultimate breast solutions that we offer provide excellent high-resolution imaging even in dense breasts, for identifying and categorizing the lesions as per the BIRADS (Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System).
Dr. Prashant Karajgi, National Clinical Marketing Manager, Philips Healthcare
Philips Ultimate Ultrasound Breast Solution is an all-in-one approach which not only enables clinicians to improve detection and early diagnosis but also increases throughput and productivity, ultimately enhancing the quality of care that a breast cancer patient receives.
This transformative breast diagnostic solution from Philips Healthcare has 4 key features which work together to efficiently assess, monitor and treat breast diseases:
Ultra-broadband comes to breast imaging
The Philips eL18-4 PureWave ultra-high frequency linear transducer provides a broad bandwidth of 4 to 18th MHz, which in combination with the PureWave technology and 1920 elements delivers much improved resolution along with better penetration. This delivers uniformity in the tissue resolution across the entire field of view and hence even the far-filed or deep-seated lesions appear clearly.
Providing more insights into the technology, Dr. Prashant says, “PureWave technology is unique to Philips which helps in improving the penetration and resolution. This is the first linear transducer even in Philips with PureWave technology thereby making it completely different from any other transducer used for breast scanning and hence differentiates us from any other vendor in the industry”.
Reveal more definitive information on tissue stiffness
The strain elastography component provides additional clinical information to differentiate between benign and malignant lesions. Dr. Prashant adds, “Very soon it will also have a shear wave elastography on the eL18-4 transducer. A combination of both strain and shear wave on this eL18-4 transducer is more effective in early and accurate diagnosis of the lesion and can also help in reducing the number of unnecessary biopsies.”
Anatomical Intelligence
Philips has introduced its AIUS (Anatomical Intelligence Ultrasound) to breast imaging (A.I.Breast) as well. This feature helps in screening and documentation of the data that can be retrieved easily for enhanced workflow. It looks at the patient’s ultrasound data and applies an adaptive system intelligence to create reproducible results. A.I.Breast also helps improve departmental efficiency and acquisition standardization using virtual mapping and real-time positional data.
New precision biopsy capabilities
This feature reduces needle blind zones and enhances the display of needle reflections during interventional procedures enabling clinicians to perform targeted biopsies with fewer passes. Dr. Prashant adds “Philips has introduced a new precision biopsy package known as ‘ Verza’ in a tie-up with CIVCO, one of the leading medial solutions company. This package provides an enhanced biopsy guidance system with virtually zero dead zones thereby reducing the number of needle insertions and hence making the clinician more confident and comfortable while doing the biopsy, and improving patient experience.”
Road Ahead
Early detection in order to improve breast cancer outcome and survival remains the cornerstone of breast cancer control. The low breast cancer survival rate in India is primarily because of late presentation in clinics/ hospitals. Hence, a comprehensive solution like the one developed by Philips increases the sensitivity of the diagnosis and help patients gets the treatment they need. Philips Healthcare is also planning to work in collaboration with government organizations in early diagnosis and management of breast cancer.
If you are interested in a demo or want to learn more about Philips Ultimate Breast Solutions, please contact:
Dr. Prashant Karajgi prashant.karajgi@philips.com Cell no: +91-9820177034
Click here to find more info on the Philips Ultimate Ultrasound Breast Solution: http://bit.ly/2M4uLBh