Invited Talk by Dr. Benjamin Frisch: Imaging the Breast - the positron emission mammography approach

Date: Thursday, June 06, 2013 Time: 10:30 - 11:30 Location: 03.13.010, FMI, Garching

Imaging the Breast: the positron emission mammography approach

Abstract:
Breast cancer is the most frequent cancer amongst women. Since chances for full recovery are very good as long as it is detected at a sufficiently early stage, many countries have installed screening programs. However, classical techniques like X-ray mammography or ultrasound may have lower sensitivity for patients with dense breasts, who have breast implants or had prior surgery. MRI is used as an additional tool, yet suffers from low specificity. Whole-body PET (WBPET), being the only technique that images metabolic processes, is handicapped by its low spatial resolution.

Based on these considerations, several research groups develop PET systems dedicated to breast imaging, called positron emission mammographs (PEM). An overview of commercially available systems shows that there is both a medical interest and a market for these devices. First multicentric clinical trials confirm that the use of PEM improves the quality of breast cancer diagnosis.

Among these systems, ClearPEM was developed to provide high sensitivity of 1.5 % and image resolution around 1.5 mm. Two prototypes have been successfully installed and commissioned. They are in clinical trials that confirm their technical and medical abilities, with patient cases where ClearPEM is able to detect small lesions that are not visible with WBPET. A further development, the ClearPEM-Sonic project, aims at extending ClearPEM with an ultrasound elastography device in view of providing anatomical information and further improving the specificity with an exact measurement of the tissue elasticity.