Study Validates CAD; One in Use at Blue Ridge HealthCare
Computer-Aided System Helps Detect Possible Breast Cancers Sooner

By ANNA WILSON - Blue Ridge HealthCare

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A two-year prospective study validates the impact of computer-aided detection in identifying invasive breast cancer at an ever-earlier stage. CAD increased the cancer detection rate by 16.1 percent during the study, published in the October issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology.

During the study, radiologists also increased their detection of invasive cancers 1 cm or less by 164 percent, said chief investigator Dr. Tommy Cupples, director of breast imaging at South Carolina Comprehensive Breast Center in Columbia. Average patient age at time of cancer diagnosis decreased by 5.3 years with CAD.

“Blue Ridge HealthCare is the only facility in this area using CAD,” said Ivan Vinueza, director of radiological services at BRHC. “The benefits from CAD technology are considerable.”

By adding the new ImageChecker® Computer-Aided Detection (CAD) system for use in breast cancer screening, the Imaging Center at Grace Hospital is giving radiologists “a highly trained second set of eyes,” said Jeffrey Zapawa, MD, a BRHC radiologist.

Early detection for breast cancer is critical since it can be readily treated. Nearly 98 percent of women who are diagnosed with breast cancer in the earliest stage survive the disease, whereas only 26 percent survive if the disease is diagnosed in the most advanced stage, according to the North Carolina Central Cancer Registry.

The study involved 27,472 consecutive screenings. Of these, 7,872 were performed prior to installation of CAD and 19,402 after. Three radiologists with varying levels of experience in breast imaging were involved in the full study term. An additional radiologist with substantial mammography experience joined the study after the introduction of CAD.

Cupples noted that due to sample size limitations, the increase in cancer detection rate was not statistically significant.

“But far more important, and of direct relevance to patient outcomes, is that both the size of the cancers found and the age at diagnosis decreased during the study,” he said. “Even with our relatively small study, both were almost statistically significant.”

The work, previewed in an interview with Cupples in Diagnostic Imaging in June, emphasizes CAD’s evolving role from quantitative to qualitative in terms of detecting small invasive cancers.

“CAD helps find smaller cancers in younger women, and these are the lesions most frequently missed in young women with dense breasts,” he said. “CAD will also fit hand in glove with full-field digital mammography, which shows potential for detecting cancer in women with dense breasts. This is good news for many women.”

BRHC’s Vinueza agrees. “CAD is a service that is very applicable in our community,” he said. “For one, we have a high incidence of breast cancer in the area, and secondly, it is proven technology that aids in early detection; therefore increasing the treatment options and success rates of therapies.”

Vinueza encourages all women over 40 receive annual mammograms.

For more information on the CAD system or to schedule a mammogram, call 580-6900 for Grace or 879-7611 for Valdese.

The second largest employer in Burke County, Blue Ridge HealthCare serves a four-county area and includes Grace and Valdese hospitals, Blue Ridge Home HealthCare, Grace Heights and College Pines Health & Rehabilitation Centers, Grace Ridge Retirement Community, Phifer Wellness Center and a number of physician practices.