Is 3D imaging more effective in detecting breast cancer than 2D imaging?
Dr. Sobel, director of breast imaging at UC Health and assistant professor in the UC College of Medicine Department of Radiology, hopes this clinical trial will confirm that 3D imaging—called 3D tomosynthesis— can better detect cancer at its earliest stages. “By taking part in the trial, the 165,000 planned participants nationally will provide critical information that will help researchers learn how to most effectively screen women for breast cancer and help women make informed decisions about screening tests in the future,” Dr. Sobel said. The multi-year trial will take a comprehensive look at breast cancer diagnosis and outcomes by enrolling healthy women from the ages of 45 to 74 who are already planning to get routine mammograms.
Researchers will collect information about the outcome of every mammogram and medical follow-up, such as biopsies. They will also continue to follow women who are diagnosed with cancer to study how they respond to treatment. Dr. Sobel and his team are taking this study even further, going straight to the source. Researchers will analyze breast tissue removed through biopsies to better understand cancer at the cellular level, and they will build a biorepository of blood and saliva samples to study genetic markers of breast cancer. “This data could, in the future, help women and their doctors decide the best ways to screen for breast cancer by evaluating their individual risk factors for the disease,” Dr. Sobel said. For more information about this study, call 513-584-3135.
