Return to Transcripts main page
American Morning
Paging Dr. Gupta: Breast Cancer Detector
Aired September 30, 2003 - 08:42 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Mammograms are the gold standard for breast cancer detection, but there may be a new and improved procedure for identifying cancers.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta is at the CNN center now to tell us more about contrast mammography.
Sanjay, how does this measure up to other procedures we already know about and are familiar with?
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I'll tell you, It tends to detect a lot more cancers than people thought it would originally. You know, with mammograms about 10 to 20 breast cancers, 10 percent to 20 percent of those, actually go undetected. About 9 percent of women who actually have lumps that end up being cancer also go undetected.
So for a long time, mammography, while it is the gold standard, as you mentioned, people were realizing that was is due for an overhaul. Contrast-enhanced mammography is sort of where that overhaul may lie.
Take a look at some images of what the contrast-enhanced mammography versus tradition mammography looks like. Traditional mammography on the left. You can obviously see the breast and see the mammogram. Hard to make out, though, whether or not there's any tumor there. The contrast-enhanced portion of it now becomes clear that there's an abnormality there. You can see the arrow pointing to it.
Another picture as well. Looking at that, I think we have another one. Again, on the left, just a standard mammogram. Where is there a tumor there? Where is it exactly? Hard to say. If you compare it now to the contrast-enhanced scan on the right, much clearer now that there is a tumor, and you can tell exactly where that's located.
This is sort of what they've been looking for some time, Heidi. There are several tests out there to try to pick up breast cancers. Mammography being the tried and true. There is breast MRI as well, which is an expensive test, and also has a high rate of what is known as false-positives. It does pick up cancers, yes, but it also picks up a lot of things that end up not being cancerous, so people are a little edgy about the breast MRIs.
The contrast-enhanced mammography, while not for everybody, probably will be available for a lot of folks. It's cheaper. Easier to do than a biopsy, with this versus an MRI scan. Small studies so far, Heidi, but fewer false positives than the MRI scan. So big sticking point there. Still in the research phase as well -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Tell us a little bit more about who would benefit the most from this type of test.
GUPTA: Yes, really important to point out, again, mammography is still going to be the screening tool for the masses. Contrast- enhanced mammography, along with other tests, may be available for certain high-risk groups. Take a look at the list of people who may benefit the most from contrast-enhanced mammography, people who need to determine the size of an already diagnosed cancer. Heidi, you just saw the pictures there. With contrast-enhanced mammography, you get a much better sense of not only where the tumor is, but also how big it is.
Let's also say a woman has an unclear sort of mammogram, looks there might be something there, but not clear, she might be a candidate for a contrast-enhanced mammogram. High-risk women, that is women who've had a previous history of breast cancer, or women who have a strong family history of breast cancer may also be candidates, and also women who've previously had surgery. Is there another cancer brewing there? A contrast-enhanced mammogram might be the answer for them.
Heidi, again, important to point out, still in the research phase,but for a long time, mammograms -- they are the gold standard, but people have been looking for the next best thing, the next thing to try and screen the masses. Obviously a lot of women go through this procedure every year. What is the best way to do it? Still fiddling around with this, this may be an answer for the future -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Boy, I hope so.
All right, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thanks so much. Appreciate it.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired September 30, 2003 - 08:42 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Mammograms are the gold standard for breast cancer detection, but there may be a new and improved procedure for identifying cancers.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta is at the CNN center now to tell us more about contrast mammography.
Sanjay, how does this measure up to other procedures we already know about and are familiar with?
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I'll tell you, It tends to detect a lot more cancers than people thought it would originally. You know, with mammograms about 10 to 20 breast cancers, 10 percent to 20 percent of those, actually go undetected. About 9 percent of women who actually have lumps that end up being cancer also go undetected.
So for a long time, mammography, while it is the gold standard, as you mentioned, people were realizing that was is due for an overhaul. Contrast-enhanced mammography is sort of where that overhaul may lie.
Take a look at some images of what the contrast-enhanced mammography versus tradition mammography looks like. Traditional mammography on the left. You can obviously see the breast and see the mammogram. Hard to make out, though, whether or not there's any tumor there. The contrast-enhanced portion of it now becomes clear that there's an abnormality there. You can see the arrow pointing to it.
Another picture as well. Looking at that, I think we have another one. Again, on the left, just a standard mammogram. Where is there a tumor there? Where is it exactly? Hard to say. If you compare it now to the contrast-enhanced scan on the right, much clearer now that there is a tumor, and you can tell exactly where that's located.
This is sort of what they've been looking for some time, Heidi. There are several tests out there to try to pick up breast cancers. Mammography being the tried and true. There is breast MRI as well, which is an expensive test, and also has a high rate of what is known as false-positives. It does pick up cancers, yes, but it also picks up a lot of things that end up not being cancerous, so people are a little edgy about the breast MRIs.
The contrast-enhanced mammography, while not for everybody, probably will be available for a lot of folks. It's cheaper. Easier to do than a biopsy, with this versus an MRI scan. Small studies so far, Heidi, but fewer false positives than the MRI scan. So big sticking point there. Still in the research phase as well -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Tell us a little bit more about who would benefit the most from this type of test.
GUPTA: Yes, really important to point out, again, mammography is still going to be the screening tool for the masses. Contrast- enhanced mammography, along with other tests, may be available for certain high-risk groups. Take a look at the list of people who may benefit the most from contrast-enhanced mammography, people who need to determine the size of an already diagnosed cancer. Heidi, you just saw the pictures there. With contrast-enhanced mammography, you get a much better sense of not only where the tumor is, but also how big it is.
Let's also say a woman has an unclear sort of mammogram, looks there might be something there, but not clear, she might be a candidate for a contrast-enhanced mammogram. High-risk women, that is women who've had a previous history of breast cancer, or women who have a strong family history of breast cancer may also be candidates, and also women who've previously had surgery. Is there another cancer brewing there? A contrast-enhanced mammogram might be the answer for them.
Heidi, again, important to point out, still in the research phase,but for a long time, mammograms -- they are the gold standard, but people have been looking for the next best thing, the next thing to try and screen the masses. Obviously a lot of women go through this procedure every year. What is the best way to do it? Still fiddling around with this, this may be an answer for the future -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Boy, I hope so.
All right, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thanks so much. Appreciate it.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
