Decatur, TX – Residents of Wise and surrounding counties now have access to advanced three-dimensional mammography, an exam proven to find 20-65% more invasive breast cancers and reduce callbacks by up to 40%. The Genius™ 3D Mammography™ equipment was purchased with funds contributed to the Wise Health Foundation through the generosity of donors, employee giving, sponsors and gifts-in-kind. The new technology will provide an added safety through the elimination of extensive travel to gain access to this technology.
With about 1 in 8 women developing invasive breast cancer, the Wise Health Foundation recognized the importance of providing innovative preventative care to the women and men of Wise County. Doctors and scientists agree that early detection is the best defense against breast cancer. Successful treatment and survival rates are dramatically affected by early detection of breast cancers. According to the American Cancer Society, if caught early (in stage 0 or 1), the five-year survival rate is almost 100 percent.
The Genius™ 3D Mammography™ exam is located at Wise Health System’s Imaging Center in Decatur. The advanced technology will not increase the price for mammograms and will be used for all mammogram patients, including Mary’s Gift recipients. The Wise Health Foundation’s Mary’s Gift program provides free mammograms to uninsured and underinsured women and men in Wise County.
The Genius™ 3D Mammography™ exam is very similar to a traditional 2D mammogram. During the exam, the X-ray arm sweeps in an arc over the breast, taking multiple breast images in just seconds. The physician is then able to view the breast tissue in one-millimeter layers, almost like pages of a book, eliminating the possibility of a tiny cancer to hide behind overlapping breast tissue. There is no additional compression required with the exam, and it only takes a few seconds longer for each view. Compared to the standard 2D mammography alone, the Genius™ exam is also the only mammogram FDA approved as superior for women with dense breasts.