Siemens Showcases Its Most Comprehensive and Advanced Breast Care Portfolio
26 November 2007 - 7:00AM
PR Newswire (US)
Seek-Find-Act-Follow: Innovations Span Entire Breast Care
Continuum, from Early Detection and Diagnosis, to Targeted Therapy,
Monitoring and After Care CHICAGO, Nov. 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/
-- Siemens Medical Solutions (http://www.usa.siemens.com/medical)
introduces the latest innovations to its breast care portfolio,
designed to help detect, diagnose and treat breast cancer earlier,
faster, and with greater precision, at the 93rd Scientific Assembly
and Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America
(RSNA) from Nov. 25 to 30 at McCormick Place (Booth #7713, Hall B).
As the world's first full-service diagnostics company, Siemens is
showcasing its unique capabilities to provide solutions that
address each step of breast care. (Logo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070904/SIEMENSLOGO ) "Siemens
continues to raise the bar for innovation by offering a
comprehensive range of breast care solutions, as evidenced by the
leading-edge technologies on display at this year's RSNA," said
Erich R. Reinhardt, Ph.D., member of the Managing Board of Siemens
AG and president and CEO of Siemens Medical Solutions. "Siemens is
enabling facilities to provide quality care tailored to the
individual patient's needs and optimize productivity, workflow,
and, ultimately, financial performance." By combining advanced
imaging, laboratory diagnostics, and information technologies,
Siemens helps physicians not only detect, diagnose and treat breast
cancer in its earliest, most treatable stages, but also provides
them with comprehensive after-care solutions. This holistic
approach enables shorter exams, streamlined workflow, and improved
patient outcomes. With the movement toward a multimodality approach
to breast care, imaging technologies such as ultrasound and
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are playing an increasing role in
all stages of breast care. At RSNA, Siemens is showcasing its
latest advancements in breast ultrasound and MRI, as well as the
next generation of digital mammography systems and immunodiagnostic
testing. Digital Mammography Simplified: MAMMOMAT Novation S
Introducing MAMMOMAT(R) Novation S, a cost-effective solution for
facilities that are making the transition to digital breast imaging
but do not have the need for the advanced functionality of
state-of-the-art systems. The MAMMOMAT Novation S optimizes
workflow, utilizes the latest full-field amorphous Selenium (aSe)
detectors and features Tungsten/Rhodium (W/Rh) X-ray technology,
which reduces dose. Ultrasound Technology Helping to Reduce
Biopsies and Image Dense Breasts Siemens' breakthrough breast
ultrasound technology, eSie Touch(TM) elasticity imaging, has shown
promise in reducing reliance on invasive breast biopsy procedures.
According to published research as many as 80 percent of biopsied
breast lesions are found to be benign. Elasticity imaging measures
the mechanical properties of tissue providing additional
information for enhanced diagnostic decision-making. Clinical
studies indicate that elasticity imaging has the potential to
increase specificity in the evaluation and determination of focal
breast lesions. Elasticity imaging has recently been recognized as
the "Best New Product of the Year" by the Stevie Awards for Women
in Business -- an international competition recognizing the
accomplishments of outstanding business women as well as products,
services and innovations introduced to the marketplace by or for
women. In addition, the U-Systems SomoVu(TM) Automated Breast
Ultrasound System* provides a fast, cost-effective,
patient-friendly solution, especially when it comes to overcoming
the challenges posed in imaging and screening of dense breast
tissue. Unlike conventional ultrasound acquisition techniques where
the user moves a transducer over the breast, automated breast
scanning (ABS) technology is a single-sweep, automated acquisition
technique that produces standardized, reproducible
three-dimensional ultrasound images for improved diagnostic
confidence. Advances in MRI Breast Spectroscopy A recent study
published in Radiology found that proton MRI spectroscopy may
eliminate 68 percent of biopsies for benign non-mass breast lesions
found on standard MRI exams without missing any cancers++. Siemens'
solution for quantitative breast MRI breast spectroscopy, syngo(R)
GRACE, allows physicians to obtain essential metabolic information
about the biochemical composition of breast lesions. This
additional information helps physicians better distinguish between
malignant and benign lesions to potentially reduce the risk of
unnecessary breast biopsies. Using choline as a biomarker, syngo
GRACE provides improved differential diagnosis and enhanced
confidence in therapy monitoring. Advances in Immunodiagnostics New
advances in immunodiagnostics have led to the development of an
in-vitro biomarker that may help physicians determine whether a
metastatic breast cancer patient is responding to treatment. This
biomarker, HER-2/neu, measures levels of human epidermal growth
factor receptor-2, a protein that plays a pivotal role in the
growth of some breast cancer cells. Siemens Medical Solutions
Diagnostics' Serum HER-2/neu test is the first and only FDA-cleared
blood test for measuring circulating levels of the HER-2/neu
protein in the monitoring of patients with metastatic breast
cancer. Over the course of disease, monitoring HER-2/neu levels
yields important information about response to therapy, and may
help physicians make more informed decisions when developing and
modifying patient treatment regimens. Molecular Imaging
Technologies Molecular imaging technologies play a central role in
the characterization of masses found in the breast and have
therefore had a major impact on the initial diagnosis, staging and
follow-up care for breast cancer patients. Diagnostic SPECT-CT
using Siemens Symbia TruePoint(TM) SPECT-CT imaging systems
combines anatomical clarity obtained from CT with functional
imaging using SPECT lymphoscintigraphy for accurate localization of
sentinel nodes. This information is then used for biopsy to
evaluate for nodal metastases. The Biograph(TM) TruePoint PET.CT
provides high quality images of 18F-FDG tracer, which shows a high
sensitivity for the localization of distant metastases due to the
high glucose affinity of proliferating tumor cells. This has made
PET.CT a standard of care for breast cancer staging. Molecular
imaging technologies can assist physicians in making more accurate
assessments of indeterminate breast lumps, which can have an impact
on therapeutic decisions. * U-Systems, Inc. SomoVu(TM) Automated
Breast Ultrasound System, distributed by Siemens ++ Bartella L, et
al "Enhancing Nonmass Lesions in the Breast: Evaluation with Proton
1(H) MR Spectroscopy" Radiology 2007; 245: 80-87. About Siemens
Medical Solutions Siemens Medical Solutions is one of the world's
largest suppliers to the healthcare industry. The company is a
renowned medical solutions provider with core competence and
innovative strength in diagnostic and therapeutic technologies as
well as in knowledge engineering, including information technology
and system integration. With its laboratory diagnostics
acquisitions, Siemens Medical Solutions will be the first fully
integrated diagnostics company, bringing together imaging and lab
diagnostics, therapy, and healthcare information technology
solutions, supplemented by consulting and support services. The
company delivers solutions across the entire continuum of care --
from prevention and early detection, to diagnosis, therapy and
care. Siemens Medical Solutions employs more than 48,000 people
worldwide and operates in 130 countries. In the fiscal year 2007
(until Sept. 30th), Siemens Medical Solutions reported sales of
euro 9,85 billion, orders of euro 10,27 billion, and group profit
of euro 1,32 billion (preliminary figures, unaudited). Further
information can be found by visiting
http://www.usa.siemens.com/medical.
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070904/SIEMENSLOGO
http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: Siemens Medical Solutions
CONTACT: Paul Crowell, Corporate Communications, Media Relations,
Siemens AG, +1-610-448-4974, Web site:
http://www.usa.siemens.com/medical
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