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New TechniScan Medical Systems Survey Results Challenge Conventional View of Women's Attitudes About Breast Cancer Screening

Posted on: Wednesday, 16 February 2005, 15:00 CST

Majority of Women Surveyed Would Travel Farther, Pay More and Wait Longer for More Complete Test Results to Avoid Biopsy

A majority of women would be willing to travel farther, pay more, and wait longer for test results if it meant ruling out the need for an invasive and possibly painful breast cancer biopsy procedure. These findings and other insights are included in the results of a patient survey conducted by Dr. Rita Hanover, director of clinical studies at TechniScan Medical Systems Inc. (TMS), a Salt Lake City-based developer of ultrasound technology for breast imaging. The data were compiled from surveys completed by women who participated in a recent feasibility study of breast imaging using TechniScan's proprietary UltraSound CT(TM) technology at St. Mark's Hospital in Salt Lake City.

Participants were 150 women ranging in age from 18 to 69 who volunteered to have their breasts scanned with the UltraSound CT which provides whole breast ultrasound scanning while lying prone with the breast suspended in a water bath. Four percent of the volunteers were scheduled for breast biopsy within the next week; 32% had undergone a benign biopsy sometime before the study; 13% had a diagnosis of benign abnormality not requiring biopsy; 11% were being followed by their physicians for a breast abnormality; 4% had breast implants; 7% were breast cancer survivors; and 29% had normal mammograms.

"A woman is typically referred for breast biopsy after a diagnostic mammogram and/or ultrasound examination indicate an area of suspicion for malignancy," according to Hanover. "For every 100 women referred for breast biopsy, about 35 are actually found to have breast cancer. These data suggest that biopsies for the remaining 65 women might have been avoided if more complete diagnostic tissue characterization information had been available. Currently the only way to rule out cancer is to undergo tissue biopsy. But recent technological advances might offer additional diagnostic information that could enable radiologists to send fewer patients to biopsy."

Contrary to conventional thinking that supports the acceleration of the diagnostic process in order to reduce stress, a majority of women in the study (71.4%) agreed that an acceptable length of time to wait for diagnostic exam results should not exceed three days.

Many of the patients surveyed indicated they would travel farther to access beneficial procedures than they currently travel for mammography. Of those, 41.9% would travel an additional 25 miles; 33.3% would travel an additional 50 miles; and 16.2% would travel 100 miles or more.

Another surprising finding concerned women's attitudes regarding health insurance coverage for breast cancer screening and diagnosis. Of the women surveyed, 57.1% said they would be willing to pay for additional procedures not covered by their health insurance if those procedures would improve the diagnostic results.

About TechniScan Medical Systems Inc.

Founded in 1984, TMS (www.techniscanmedicalsystems.com) uses an ultrasound technology called inverse scattering, which makes use of the entire spectrum of information available from the ultrasound signal. The resulting diagnostic information includes ultrasound transmission tomography images in a format similar to that provided by MRI and CT imaging. In addition, UltraSound CT(TM) provides indices of speed and attenuation of sound, tissue properties that may provide physicians with valuable diagnostic information.

Source: Business Wire

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