SightLine Health Adds Naviscan PEM Technology to Breast Cancer Treatment Services

SAN DIEGO, Oct. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- To mark the beginning of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, SightLine Health has expanded its breast cancer treatment services at its West Houston facility to include the Naviscan PEM scanner.  PEM (Positron Emission Mammography) scanners are high-resolution breast PET systems that show the location as well as the metabolic phase of a lesion.  The metabolic view allows physicians to make the optimal cancer care decision by providing an unprecedented ability to distinguish between benign and malignant lesions, what researchers term "specificity."

SightLine Health, which opened a third center in Houston earlier this year, has constantly invested in innovative technologies in the battle to cure breast cancer.  It is staffed by a group of accredited professionals and offers comprehensive care to patients and their families through the entire treatment process. "Adding a cutting edge molecular breast imaging tool, such as PEM, will benefit breast cancer patients by providing a more streamlined approach to their care," said Dr. Stephen Rose, the breast radiologist who will be interpreting the PEM scans.

Results from an NIH-sponsored clinical study [NIH Grant 5R44CA103102], recently presented at the 2010 Society of Nuclear Medicine Annual Meeting, comparing PEM and breast MRI demonstrate PEM's clinical appropriateness.  The multi-site study of hundreds of women with newly diagnosed breast cancer shows that PEM demonstrated comparably high sensitivity but a six percent improvement in specificity, ability to differentiate between malignant and benign lesions, suggesting that PEM may reduce unnecessary biopsies. These results are particularly significant for women who cannot tolerate an MRI exam and require an alternate imaging tool. The study is slated for publication in the December issue of the journal Radiology.

"Naviscan is pleased to be the first imaging modality ever adopted by SightLine Health.  We believe that PEM will help differentiate their breast cancer treatment services and help referring breast surgeons better plan their surgeries," said Paul J. Mirabella, Chairman and CEO, Naviscan, Inc.

About SightLine Health

SightLine Health, headquartered in Houston, Texas, specializes in groundbreaking procedures such as Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT), Image-Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT) and High Dose Rate (HDR) brachytherapy for cancer. The company began operations in 2005 when it opened its first facility near the renowned Texas Medical Center.  

About Naviscan, Inc.

Naviscan, founded in 1995, develops and markets compact, high-resolution PET scanners intended to provide organ-specific molecular imaging and guide radiological and surgical procedures. The Naviscan PEM scanner is currently installed and available in breast and imaging centers throughout the U.S. and other parts of the world. The Company is headquartered in San Diego, California and is the first to obtain FDA-clearance for a high-resolution PET scanner designed to image small body parts and for breast biopsy image guidance. For more information, call 1.858.587.3641 or visit www.naviscan.com.

SOURCE Naviscan, Inc.

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