Iraj Khalkhali, MD, a principal investigator at the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center (LA BioMed) and a resident physician in the Department of Radiology/Diagnostic Radiology at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, is part of an international group of researchers studying the use of a breast imaging camera, which appears to detect breast cancers missed by standard mammography.

Approximately 25 to 40 percent of women have dense breast tissue, which decreases the chance that a cancer will be visible on their mammograms. With molecular breast imaging, the visibility of the tumor is not influenced by the density of the surrounding tissue. This technique is well suited to find cancers in women whose mammograms may not be very accurate. Experts have long recognized that screening for breast cancer with mammograms may not be sufficient in some groups of women, particularly women at increased risk for breast cancer, many of whom also have dense breast tissue.

Researchers in Italy, Pennsylvania and the Mayo Clinic have detected previously unknown cancers in patients who had dense breasts and in whom both clinical examinations and mammography reported normal results. "We believe our results show that the routine clinical use of high-resolution, dedicated breast cameras can be a powerful diagnostic tool for early breast cancer identification," Dr. Khalkhali said.

The breast imaging camera used in the study is provided by Gamma Medica, Inc. of Northridge, California. For more information on how to participate in this clinical trial in the Los Angeles area, contact breaststudy@gammamedica.com or call 1-877-788-3908 x 104. For members of the media who wish to talk to Dr. Khalkhali, please contact Dave Feuerherd at df@issuesmanagement.com. To o
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Contact: David Feuerherd
df@issuesmangement.com
310-215-0234
Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center (LA BioMed)
1-Mar-2005