SoftVue™ offers a SOLUTION for DENSE BREAST SCREENING
What does it mean to have dense breasts?
There are 4 categories used to determine breast density. Breast density is determined by mammography and having dense breasts is normal as around 50% of women over the age of 40 have dense breasts. Having dense breasts, defined as falling into categories c or d:
- Increases the risk of developing breast cancer and is a greater risk factor than having two first-degree relatives with breast cancer
- Mammography misses almost 50% of cancers in women with dense breasts.
How does SoftVue™ differ from mammography?
Dense breast tissue and cancer both look white on mammograms, making cancers harder to detect in women with dense breasts using x-ray alone. SoftVue™ does not use x-ray to image the breast. SoftVue™ is based on ultrasound technology, meaning it operates with the same kind of harmless soundwaves used to image babies in pregnant women. Cancers are easier to detect on ultrasound because sound can move through dense tissue to detect cancer that is blocked by dense tissue on x-ray.
In fact, SoftVue™ has proven to detect 20% more cancers when combined with standard mammography for women with dense breasts.
In addition, rather than just having one type of image to review for possible cancers, SoftVue produces 4 different image sets of each breast that radiologists can use to determine if cancer is present. That is 4Xs the imaging power, giving radiologists more diagnostic confidence compared to just reviewing mammography alone, potentially reducing unnecessary call-backs and biopsies.
