Siemens Medical

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.

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 

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.”