For Surgeons, Breast Conservation Should be the Standard of Care

    MILFORD, CT, January 01, 2016 /24-7PressRelease/ -- For the one in eight American women who will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime, the fear of losing their life far outweighs their fear of losing a breast. Most hope early detection and surgery will quickly remove the cancer and increase their chances of survival. Yet even after an initial incision, one in four will be faced with a second round of surgery to remove additional tissue. For patients aged 18 to 29, the repeat surgery rate is even higher at nearly 39%.

Given the advances in specimen imaging technology though, these reincision rates are unnecessarily elevated. The trauma of additional surgery and more extensive scarring for women can be easily reduced with 3D specimen radiography, which affords surgeons the most comprehensive margin analysis available and greatly improves the standard of care for patients.

According to Vikram Butani, the founder of Kubtec, a global leader in digital specimen radiography systems, "2D imaging, which creates a flat 2 dimensional image of the specimen, has been the standard of care for intraoperative imaging for many years. Yet tumors are often shaped like three dimensional stars with long thin structures or spiculations extending from them and surgeons must remove every one of these in order to get a clean margin. 2D imaging simply cannot provide that level of spatial detail."

Noted doctors also recognize that reexcision rates can be influenced by many factors other than the quality of breast-conserving surgical procedures, and "surgeons who remove very large amounts of normal breast tissue during lumpectomy (may) have low reexcision rates, but poor cosmetic outcomes."

The need for greater awareness among cancer centers and patients of the new advances in specimen imaging technology is evident. While ensuring survival is ultimately the goal of breast cancer surgery, breast conservation and patient care must also be factored into clinical decisions.

About Kubtec
Kubtec, a registered trademark of KUB Technologies, Inc., develops and manufactures digital X-ray systems for clinical and non-clinical applications, including low-dose neonatal imaging, specimen radiography, scientific research, forensic analysis, non-destructive testing, irradiation and more. Kubtec is ISO 9001 and ISO 13485 certified and complies with U.S., Canadian, and European requirements for radiation safety. Systems and manufacturer-trained support is available worldwide.

To learn more about 3D specimen tomosynthesis, visit the Kubtec.com website.

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