KFDA - NewsChannel 10 / Amarillo, TX: newschannel10.comNew Breast Cancer Technology Arrives in the Panhandle

New Breast Cancer Technology Arrives in the Panhandle

by: Kristen Guilfoos
NewsChannel 10

Amarillo, Texas - Brand new breast cancer technology arrives in the Panhandle and it could be life saving. It's called breast specific gamma imaging, or BSGI. 

We've been talking about the mammogram controversy for several weeks now... Who should get one, what age you should get on, and so on.

But now, this latest state of the art technology might mean you don't need to get one at all. 

As opposed to a traditional mammogram, this BSGI technology puts radioactive particles into the body, allowing doctors to better determine what's cancer and what's not.

And in many cases, BSGI can detect cancerous masses that a mammogram would have missed. Dr. Chip Coscia with Texas Oncology Breast Center says it's not for everyone, but for certain groups of women, it will make early detection much easier.

He says, "It's best for women with very dense breasts, for women with implants, for women who have a difficult mammogram to read for one reason or another, particularly for those women who are very high risk because of family history or other factors."

Prior to the BSGI, the closest thing to it was an MRI.

Now that the BSGI is here in the panhandle, it will be a much less expensive option, but it will still cost more than a standard mammogram.