BOISE, Idaho — St. Luke’s Health System is now offering three additional screenings to help detect cancerous tissues in dense breasts.
The Food and Drug Administration updated mammography quality standards in September and stated patients be notified about their breast tissue density.
St. Luke's Medical Director of Breast Care Services, Dr. Huy Pham said the additional screenings do not replace traditional mammograms, instead they go further to pinpoint cancer tissues.
One of the three imaging procedures is an abbreviated MRI.
It is the most sensitive and shortest, involving a contrast IV and scan with an MRI machine.
"We have something called contrast enhanced mammography that's very similar to a regular mammogram, but it uses an IV as well, using contrast, the benefit to that is they're in a familiar setting. They get a mammogram every year, so it's very familiar. It's quick and easy. It's only a couple more minutes than their normal mammogram," said Pham. "Then our last modality is whole breast ultrasound. That's a quick and painless one. It doesn't require an IV. It looks at the whole breast, and it's automated."
The contrast-enhanced mammography screenings will be available at the Nampa campus by the end of 2024.
Automated whole breast ultrasounds are available now at the Nampa campus.
The abbreviated MRI is available at St. Luke’s Nampa, Boise, Eagle, Magic Valley, and Wood River campuses.
"This empowers women to know if their breast sense is dense or not. If they are dense, they may benefit from additional supplemental screening. We offer whole breast ultrasound, contrast, enhanced mammography and abbreviated MRI."
To schedule a mammogram with St. Luke’s or to get more information on supplemental screenings click here.