John C. Lincoln’s Breast Health and Research Center in North Phoenix is now Arizona’s first site to offer low dose 3-D mammography, the latest innovation in breast cancer screening.

The new low dose 3-D system from Hologic requires less compression time and reduces radiation exposure. It does this by creating 2-D images from the 3-D data set, thus eliminating the separate digital X-ray that was part of the original 3-D imaging process.

“Even though groundbreaking 3-D mammograms met FDA safety standards while providing never-before seen image clarity, some patients worried about the level of exposure,” said breast radiologist Linda Greer, MD, medical director of the John C. Lincoln Breast Health and Research Center. “This new low dose technology completely eliminates that concern.”

Hologic’s new ‘C-View’ imaging software was approved May 16 by the FDA. The new, low dose 3-D mammograms are now available at the same cost as conventional 2-D mammography at John C. Lincoln’s Breast Health and Research Center, 19646 N. 27th Ave., #205. Also, the new technology is clinically proven to significantly reduce unnecessary patient recalls while simultaneously improving cancer detection.

“Lower dose 3-D mammography is an important evolution in breast cancer screening,” Dr. Greer says. “Large-scale clinical studies in the U.S. and Europe have shown that screening with 3-D mammography allows radiologists to visualize the breast in greater detail than with 2-D mammography alone. That results in earlier detection of cancers, while at the same time reducing the false positives associated with conventional 2-D mammography.”

False positives are unclear results that require patients to return for additional medical imaging to rule out cancer and can cause unnecessary anxiety and cost. “No matter how you look at it,” Dr. Greer said, “lower dose 3-D breast cancer screening provides a better patient experience.”

Being first to offer low dose 3-D mammography is typical for John C. Lincoln’s Breast Health Center, which has a history of being at the forefront of breast cancer screening. It was first in the Valley to offer breast imaging in a spa-like setting; first in Arizona to offer 3-D screening that is rapidly becoming the worldwide standard of care; and one of the first in the nation designated a Center of Excellence by the American College of Radiology.

For more information, visit JCL.com/breasthealth.