GE Healthcare to Offer a More Comfortable Mammography Experience

TORONTO, March 23, 2017

Fear of pain is one of the most common reasons why women do not schedule a mammogram. A recent study conducted by Evans, et.al, found that painful exams explain why 25 to 46 per cent¹ of women failed to return for further breast imaging. The study concluded that effective pain-reducing interventions in mammography are needed to encourage more women to come in for screening. The target participation rate in Canadian organized breast cancer screening programs is 70 per cent of eligible women². Currently all provincial programs fall below this rate^2.

Senographe Pristina features a range of ergonomic features that are intentionally designed to enable patients to be more comfortable. All parts in contact with the patient's breasts, for example, have gentle, rounded corners for greater comfort. The system features comfortable armrests that relax the pectoral muscles to simplify positioning, compression and image acquisition.

Traditional mammography systems compress the breast automatically, which can be a source of considerable discomfort. Senographe Pristina features a self-compression tool that helps give women a sense of control by allowing them to manually adjust the degree of breast compression. Under the direction of a technologist, the patient can set compression to a level that feels right for them.

Taken together, these design features mean that technologists are better able to focus on precise positioning, making exams easier and faster. Poor positioning is the cause of most clinical image deficiencies that often require a rescan³.

"We are committed to fighting breast cancer by encouraging early detection," says Heather Chalmers, Canadian General Manager of GE Healthcare. "Senographe Pristina is humanizing the mammography experience by increasing comfort and reducing patient anxiety. The system's potential to help increase the number of annual screening exams is an important step forward in women's healthcare."

GE Healthcare worked closely with patients, technologists and radiologists from Gustave Roussy Cancer Center to get critical input to ensure the system would address the major pain points for all three groups. Gustave Roussy is one of the largest cancer treatment centers in Europe.