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In a new book, Imaging Diagnostic Systems' director of clinical research examines the risks of inducing breast cancer as a result of the ionizing radiation received during CT exams of the thorax and upper abdomen. Imaging Diagnostic Systems' director of clinical research, Professor Eric Milne, MD, has contributed to a comprehensive new book, Cancer imaging: lung and breast carcinomas, edited by Professor M.A. Hayat.

Professor Milne’s chapter, 'Breast dose in thoracic computed tomography', examines the risks of inducing breast cancer as a result of the ionizing radiation received during CT exams of the thorax and upper abdomen. Citing results stemming from his original 1992 study, which demonstrated that large doses of ionizing radiation, equivalent to the dose from 15 to 60 mammograms, are absorbed by the female breast as a result of each chest CT exam, Milne suggests that referring physicians should carefully weigh the clinical necessity for thoracic scans in female and pediatric patients and cautions against the use of CT scans as a screening procedure for lung cancer, coronary artery calcification, or pediatric lung disease.

“The number of CT scans performed per year, for every 1,000 persons, has increased enormously in the USA over the last five years,” Milne explains. “We now hold the world record at 172.5 scans for every group of 1,000 people. A conservative estimate of the carcinogenic effects of this massive irradiation would indicate an increase of 16,000 breast cancers.”

Tim Hansen, IDSI president and CEO, commented: “We believe that imaging the angiogenesis process using lasers not only presents new information to the diagnostician, but also avoids adding to the patient’s cumulative carcinogenic radiation dose. As Dr. Milne notes, physicians should be aware of the dose consequences and examine alternatives that are available.”

The book, which will be published by Elsevier, is currently in press.

IDSI is the developer of the CT Laser Mammography (CTLM) system, a patented new breast imaging system that utilizes continuous wave laser technology and patented algorithms to create 3D images of the breast. The procedure is non-invasive, painless, and does not expose the patient to ionizing radiation or painful breast compression. It reveals information about blood distribution in the breast and may visualize the process of angiogenesis, which usually accompanies tumor growth.

IDSI has recently exhibited clinical cases from global users of the CTLM system at the Society of Breast Imaging (SBI) 8th Postgraduate Course, jointly sponsored by the American College of Radiology, in Hollywood, Florida, 14-17 April. The company is currently collecting data from clinical sites for the future filing of an FDA Premarket Approval (PMA) for the system to be used as an adjunct to mammography.