Photo/By Valerie Zapanta
Seated center, Pulin Sheth, assistant professor of radiology and director of breast imaging, Lee Breast Center. Behind, from left: Gina Howard, Breast Center imaging supervisor; Linda Hovanessian–Larsen, associate professor of radiology; Stephy Kantardjieff; Susan Whelan; Matt Whelan, Lon V. Smith board member; Mary Yamashita, assistant professor of clinical radiology; Stephen Sener, professor of surgery; Steve Kantardjieff, president, Lon V. Smith Foundation.
HSC Weekly 2012-11-09
USC Norris announces new 3-D mammography
By Valerie Zapanta
Mammography at USC Norris Cancer Hospital received a key upgrade through a generous donation made by the Lon V. Smith Foundation. The Harold and Henrietta C. Lee Breast Center now offers a 3-D mammography screening tool called breast tomosynthesis.
“Building upon our existing digital technology and drawing upon our vast wealth of experience and knowledge with mammography, tomosythesis, for the first time, allows us to ‘image through the breast.’ This gives us the ability to find small, early and hard-to-detect cancers in both dense and fatty breast tissues when they are potentially most treatable,” said Pulin Sheth, assistant professor of radiology and director of breast imaging at the Breast Center.
Simultaneously, and just as important, physicians can reduce the number of false positive mammograms and the number of women who need follow-ups or biopsies due to overlapping tissue. “The Lon V. Smith Foundation has provided us with a tremendous amount of support and encouragement in helping us fight breast cancer on an entirely new level and we are very thankful for that,” said Sheth.
According to Sheth, 3-D mammography is the most highly anticipated new technology to enter the breast-imaging arena in over a decade.
“It is an honor to be involved in this advancement for the Breast Center and in helping detect breast cancer in women. Thank you to the Norris staff for your passion in what you do. You are fulfilling the wish of the late Lon Smith, and the purpose of the Lon V. Smith Foundation, as he wanted to concentrate his focus on helping people, and you all are healing people and helping people,” said Steve Kantardjieff, Lon V. Smith Foundation president.
“The Lon V. Smith Foundation and USC Norris have a long historical relationship. We appreciate their most recent gift that will support our doctors and benefit patients,” said Carmy Peters, director of development and community relations at USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center.
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