By Joe Malan, Staff Writer
Integris Bass Baptist Health Center and St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center both have equipment that will test for and help diagnose breast cancer.
Vicky Godding, director of radiology at Bass, said the facility offers several different machines and procedures that help detect breast cancer.
“We have an MRI that’s state of the art where we do actual breast MRIs,” Godding said. “We are the only ones in town that I know of do it.”
Bass also provides biopsies and exams.
During a breast exam, the medical professional will take pictures of a woman’s breast to identify anything that could look cancerous. If something suspicious shows, a biopsy can be performed to try to remove suspicious-looking tissue.
St. Mary’s, meanwhile, offers digital mammography at Women’s Health & Imaging Center, 316 W. Garriott. Bob Brice, director of radiology for St. Mary’s, says the digital aspect allows a more clear image than analog or film-based imaging.
“It’s like going from an eight track to a CD,” said Brice, elaborating on image clarity.
The mammography machine is coupled to a Computer Aided Detection (CAD) device. Images are run through CAD, which acts as a “second set of eyes,” Brice said. From there, radiologists make a diagnosis.
Bass has analogue mammography machines, but Godding said the hospital is getting ready to update those to digital.
Bass does have a brand new stereotactic machine, Godding added, that will perform breast biopsies.
In addition to digital mammography, St. Mary’s offers a nuclear medicine procedure called lymphoscientigraphy.
This is a process in which a small amount of radioactive material is injected into the breast area to highlight the activities of lymph nodes.
If a woman already has breast cancer, the radioactive material can tell radiologists if lymph nodes need to be taken out to halt the spread of the cancer.
“That way, they’re not stripping (out) a whole lot of lymph nodes,” Brice said.
Bass also provides linear accelerator radiation treatments for breast cancer patients who need it.
