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 Company: Siemens Medical Solutions, Malvern, PA
Entry Submitted By: Coyne PR
Company Description: Siemens Medical Solutions is a healthcare technology innovation leader. Bringing together a unique set of innovative medical imaging, clinical diagnostics, healthcare information technology, management consulting, and related services, Siemens helps healthcare providers achieve improved clinical workflow, gains in productivity and efficiency, and higher levels of quality, accuracy and safety.
Nomination Category: Product & Service Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Best New Product of the Year
Nomination Title: Breast Elasticity
Describe for the judges the nominated product, including its features and benefits (up to 500 words). Include in this section the date during the eligibility period on which the product was first introduced to the marketplace:
According to the American Cancer Society, one woman is diagnosed with breast
cancer every three minutes, and one woman will die of breast cancer every 13
minutes in the United States. The best opportunity for reducing the breast cancer
death rate is early detection and, as a result, physicians perform approximately
1.2 million breast biopsies each year. However, research indicates that nearly 80
percent of lesions that routinely undergo biopsies are found to be benign, meaning
that some women are unnecessarily subjected to the stress and discomfort
associated with this invasive procedure.
In effort to prevent unnecessary breast biopsies, researchers have developed a
new, non-invasive ultrasound technique called eSie Touch™ Elasticity Imaging.
Elasticity imaging is a new manual exam using Siemens ultrasound technology
that is similar to a manual self-exam, but much more sensitive. The technique
works by gauging how much tissue moves when pushed, as well as the stiffness
of an object (the lesion), then scanned with the ultrasound. These characteristics
are essentially a window into determining whether a lesion is malignant or benign.
This new test adds, on average, only two minutes to a woman’s breast exam.
In a study on breast elasticity, radiologists were able to determine with nearly
100 percent accuracy whether lesions in the female breast were cancerous or
harmless. Initial results from the study, presented as a scientific paper at the
Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) Annual Meeting in November 2006,
suggest that breast elasticity imaging can characterize lesions as benign or
malignant with high sensitivity and specificity. In submitted data, breast
elasticity correctly identified 56 of 56 benign lesions and 16 of 16 malignant lesions.
Physicians hope that this new method, which is an adjunct to regular breast
ultrasound examinations, may provide a clinically relevant differentiation of
benign and malignant tissue. The method, if proven in larger studies, could one day
potentially reduce the number of unnecessary breast biopsies by up to 50
percent.
The software for this diagnostic advance is offered with the 5.0 release of the
Siemens ACUSON™ Antares ultrasound system, premium edition.
List the URLs (web addresses) of any online news stories, press releases, product photographs, logos, or other documents that you would like the judges to see that support your entry. IMPORTANT: List each URL on a separate line, begin each URL with http://, and enclose each URL in square brackets. For example, [http://www.yourcompany.com/pressrelease.html]:
The study can be found online at the RSNA website under the ultrasound link:
http://www.rsna.org/rsna/media/pr2006-2/elasticity_imaging-2.cfm
January 2007, Medical Imaging, “Emerging Technology: Breast Elasticity Imaging
Package:”
http://www.medicalimagingmag.com/issues/articles/2007-01_10.asp
November 2006, Diagnostic Imaging, “Breast elasticity imaging improves
specificity:”
http://www.diagnosticimaging.com/webcast06/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=196513379
Provide a brief biography of the person or persons who lead the team that developed the nominated new product (up to 100 words):
Klaus W. Hambüchen was named president of Siemens Medical Solutions
Ultrasound Division in January 2005. In this role, he is responsible for overseeing
the business strategy and solutions development. Prior to assuming the position
of president of Ultrasound, Hambüchen has held many integral roles at Siemens
Medical Solutions including: President of the Angiography, Fluoroscopy, and
Radiography Systems (AX) Division; Computed Tomography (CT) product
specialist; CT Division Manager; and head of the CT product group. And after
many years at Siemens Medical Solutions, Hambüchen declares: “There is no
better occupational field than medical technology.”
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