American College of Radiology (ACR) launches Contrast-Enhanced Mammography Imaging Screening Trial (CMIST) in collaboration with GE Healthcare and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation

CMIST to determine whether CEM improves breast cancer detection for women with dense breasts

The American College of Radiology (ACR) is set to launch the Contrast-Enhanced Mammography Imaging Screening Trial (CMIST) in collaboration with the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) and GE Healthcare. The trial will determine whether contrast-enhanced mammography improves breast cancer detection and reduces false-positive exams in women with dense breasts.

About 43 percent of women aged 40 to 72 have dense breasts, which can make detection of breast cancer more challenging when using mammography alone. The CMIST study seeks to determine if contrast-enhanced mammography (CEM) provides more accurate cancer detection compared to digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) in women with dense breasts.

CEM combines mammography and vascular-based screening methods in a simple and quick procedure to highlight areas of unusual blood flow patterns that may indicate malignancy. Early studies of CEM in screening women with dense breasts have shown the potential benefit of CEM in the detection of breast cancer.

“In the fight against breast cancer, unfortunately it is all too common for women with dense breasts to face an agonizing wait for answers,” says Catherine Lezy, General Manager for Mammography at GE Healthcare. “We know that CEM technology can be a game-changer in helping improve breast cancer outcomes. I’m excited that both GE Healthcare’s Senographe Pristina™ mammography system and SenoBright HD™ CEM technology, together with GE Healthcare Pharmaceutical Diagnostics contrast media will be used to further evaluate the clinical benefits of CEM. We hope that this will help clinicians feel more confident in their diagnosis and help patients get the answers they deserve.”

The planned study will be managed by the American College of Radiology Center for Research and Innovation, with support from the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and GE Healthcare, under the supervision of Principal Investigator Christopher Comstock, MD, FACR, FSBI, Director of Breast Imaging Clinical Trials, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, who said: “The CMIST Trial can help determine if contrast-enhanced mammography can provide a more sensitive and specific method for breast cancer screening in women with dense breasts, finding many cancers missed with our current methods.”

“Through CMIST, we hope to gain increased understanding of the potential role of contrast mammography for women with dense breasts with the goal of developing more individualized breast imaging strategies.” said Etta Pisano, MD, FACR, American College of Radiology Chief Research Officer.

“Given recent trends in the rising incidence of breast cancer, it is a key imperative to improve current diagnostic tools,” said Dorraya El-Ashry, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. “We know that early detection is a key determinant of survival and improving diagnostic technology for women with dense breasts will undoubtedly save lives.”

As the world observes Breast Cancer Awareness month throughout October, women are encouraged to ‘Don’t Skip’ their annual mammogram – where they can learn more about their own risk factors, including breast density, and consider the best care options with the help of their physician. Click here to learn more.

The American College of Radiology (ACR), founded in 1924, is a professional medical society dedicated to serving patients and society by empowering radiology professionals to advance the practice, science and professions of radiological care. acr.org

Breast cancer is a complex disease with no simple solution. Research is the key to stopping it in its tracks. Founded in 1993 by Evelyn H. Lauder, BCRF is the largest private funder of breast cancer research in the world. Investing in the best minds in science—from those investigating prevention, diagnosis, treatment, survivorship, and metastasis—and foster cross-disciplinary collaboration, BCRF’s approach accelerates the entire field and moves us closer to the answers we urgently need to be the end of breast cancer. Learn more and get involved at BCRF.org.

GE Healthcare is the $17.7 billion healthcare business of GE (NYSE: GE). As a leading global medical technology, pharmaceutical diagnostics and digital solutions innovator, GE Healthcare enables clinicians to make faster, more informed decisions through intelligent devices, data analytics, applications and services, supported by its Edison intelligence platform. With over 100 years of healthcare industry experience and around 48,000 employees globally, the company operates at the center of an ecosystem working toward precision health, digitizing healthcare, helping drive productivity and improve outcomes for patients, providers, health systems and researchers around the world.

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