‘Hot tub party for breasts’: New comfy breast cancer detection in Louisiana

MARRERO, La. ( WGNO ) — LCMC Health’s West Jefferson Women’s Imaging and Breast Cancer Care Center is now the first in the state of Louisiana to offer the new breast cancer technology, “SoftVue.”

When it comes to breast cancer, New Orleans resident Anne Babson isn’t taking any chances.

“I take breast cancer more serious because my mother died of it. She died far too young. She was diagnosed with cancer at the age I am now,” Babson said.

That’s why she is one of the first patients in Louisiana to ever be screened for breast cancer with the new system.

SoftVue incorporates triple acoustic detection technology, increasing sensitivity by 20% and specificity by 8% compared to traditional mammography. This non-invasive system offers a more comfortable experience without radiation or compression, completing the scan in three to five minutes per breast.

“Instead of using X-rays, we use ultrasound,” Dr. Michael D’Antonio, Chief Radiologist at West Jefferson Women’s Imaging & Breast Cancer Care Center said.

D’Antonio said that women with dense breasts are more likely to develop cancer. He also says SoftVue is better at detection than mammograms.

“It detects twice as many invasive cancers as mammograms for women with dense breasts. The good thing about SoftVue is that it is more specific,” he said.

For patients like Babson, the 10-minute SoftVue screening is more comfortable than a mammogram.

“The truth is it is not painful, less painful than a mammogram. I joked that it was the weirdest hot tub party that I’ve ever been to. There’s a water bath, one breast at a time with imaging, it really is a hot tub party for breasts. I’ve never had bubbles around my breasts before, but they were lifesaving bubbles,” Babson said.

Early detection is the most important thing for women like her.

“This machine probably would’ve saved my mother’s life. This new machine is a real blessing for all of us,” Babson said.

Doctors say they plan to see 20 or more patients a week with the new SoftVue breast cancer technology.

SoftVue is a 3D whole breast ultrasound tomography system by Delphinus Medical Technologies.

According to doctors, approximately 40% of women in the U.S. have dense breast tissue, which increases their risk of breast cancer.

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