Machine detects cancer earlier

A new technology in Wichita Falls is now available that will help in early detection of breast cancer and get a jump on fighting the deadly disease.Susan Basham, the coordinator for women's imaging at United Regional, Gyratory crusher manufacturer said the new 3-D mammography machines are new tools in the department's arsenal that will enhance the ability to diagnose breast cancer, especially in women who have dense breast tissue or a significant family history of the disease.

She said when the Food and Drug Administration approved the use of the new technology in February 2011, she knew it was a piece of equipment that would benefit patients in the area.Basham said there are fewer than 100 facilities using 3-D mammography machines in the U.S.Mobile crushing plant and only three or four sites in North Texas."United Regional was very supportive in letting us have exactly what the women in our communities needed," she said of the nearly $1 million purchase of two machines and a radiologist workstation.

The new machines work similar to an MRI in that images are captured layer by layer; a traditional 2-D image captures a view one angle at a time much like an X-ray. It's particularly useful in women who have dense breast tissue, which makes it difficult for radiologists to detect some forms of cancer.Dr. Paul Bice, a Wichita Falls radiologist, said this technology gives him the opportunity to see several sections of the breast a centimeter at a time, making potential cancers identifiable.