Presbyterian Healthcare 
2004 News Releases
MR-Guided Breast Biopsies Now Available
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May 24, 2004 Contact: Kevin M. McCarthy, 704-384-9669 |
Presbyterian Hospital is the first healthcare provider in the Charlotte region to offer an important advance in the treatment of breast cancer -- magnetic resonance-guided breast biopsies and needle localizations. By using the superior capabilities of MR imaging, suspicious tissue can be located and sampled to see if it is cancer. The procedure can also be used to help guide a surgeon to the location of the tumor if it's found to be malignant.
"MRI technology is far superior to mammography and ultrasound in clearly detecting suspicious breast masses," said Erik Insko, M.D., Ph.D., of Mecklenburg Radiology Associates. "It often finds lesions that are too small to be seen by other imaging methods. We are now able to take MRI technology to the next level and use it to assist in procedures that can positively diagnose and aid in the treatment of breast cancer. This is a major advancement that will help catch cancers at much earlier stages and improve cure rates," Dr. Insko said.
MR-guided breast biopsies use MR images of the breast that show radiologists where to insert a small needle to remove a tissue sample for analysis. The procedure is less invasive than surgical biopsy, since it requires only a topical anesthetic, leaves little or no scarring and can be performed in less than an hour.
If the tissue is cancerous and its precise location in the breast is beyond the ability of either a mammogram or ultrasound to detect, the MRI technology can be used to localize the lesion and guide the surgeon to its location for surgical removal. This is called MRI needle localization, which positions a thin wire in the tumor that the surgeon can follow to the suspicious region in the breast during a lumpectomy.
Magnetic resonance imaging uses high-powered magnets, not radiation, to obtain detailed images of tissue. Presbyterian offers breast MRIs in cases where a suspicious mass is found in a mammography and greater image clarity is required for diagnosis or to determine the most appropriate therapy. Breast MRIs can also be used to monitor women with a family history of breast cancer or those who have had a previous diagnosis of breast cancer. It also can be used to monitor a tumor's response to chemotherapy.
"For most women, MRI won't, and shouldn't, replace routine mammographic screening," Dr. Insko said. "It is always appropriate for women to get a routine mammogram. If a suspicious region is detected on the routine evaluation, we will often follow-up with MRI. Periodically, we will find an entirely new lesion that we think might be cancer. If the lesion cannot be seen with routine imaging, then MR-guided biopsy or localization is absolutely necessary to determine the best course of treatment."
A nationally recognized expert in the use of magnetic resonance technology, Dr. Insko joined Mecklenburg Radiology Associates in 2003. Previously, he was an attending physician in Body MRI and cardiovascular imaging at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, and assistant professor of radiology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. He holds bachelor's and master's degrees in physics, an M.D. degree and a Ph.D. in biophysics from the University of Pennsylvania.
"MRI technology is far superior to mammography and ultrasound in clearly detecting suspicious breast masses," said Erik Insko, M.D., Ph.D., of Mecklenburg Radiology Associates. "It often finds lesions that are too small to be seen by other imaging methods. We are now able to take MRI technology to the next level and use it to assist in procedures that can positively diagnose and aid in the treatment of breast cancer. This is a major advancement that will help catch cancers at much earlier stages and improve cure rates," Dr. Insko said.
MR-guided breast biopsies use MR images of the breast that show radiologists where to insert a small needle to remove a tissue sample for analysis. The procedure is less invasive than surgical biopsy, since it requires only a topical anesthetic, leaves little or no scarring and can be performed in less than an hour.
If the tissue is cancerous and its precise location in the breast is beyond the ability of either a mammogram or ultrasound to detect, the MRI technology can be used to localize the lesion and guide the surgeon to its location for surgical removal. This is called MRI needle localization, which positions a thin wire in the tumor that the surgeon can follow to the suspicious region in the breast during a lumpectomy.
Magnetic resonance imaging uses high-powered magnets, not radiation, to obtain detailed images of tissue. Presbyterian offers breast MRIs in cases where a suspicious mass is found in a mammography and greater image clarity is required for diagnosis or to determine the most appropriate therapy. Breast MRIs can also be used to monitor women with a family history of breast cancer or those who have had a previous diagnosis of breast cancer. It also can be used to monitor a tumor's response to chemotherapy.
"For most women, MRI won't, and shouldn't, replace routine mammographic screening," Dr. Insko said. "It is always appropriate for women to get a routine mammogram. If a suspicious region is detected on the routine evaluation, we will often follow-up with MRI. Periodically, we will find an entirely new lesion that we think might be cancer. If the lesion cannot be seen with routine imaging, then MR-guided biopsy or localization is absolutely necessary to determine the best course of treatment."
A nationally recognized expert in the use of magnetic resonance technology, Dr. Insko joined Mecklenburg Radiology Associates in 2003. Previously, he was an attending physician in Body MRI and cardiovascular imaging at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, and assistant professor of radiology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. He holds bachelor's and master's degrees in physics, an M.D. degree and a Ph.D. in biophysics from the University of Pennsylvania.
