Thanks to telemedicine, mammography is becoming more accessible to all

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

Telemedicine improves access to breast cancer screening for Native American women.
Mammography may save lives with early detection of breast cancer, but it may be hard for women in remote rural areas to attend for the screening. Researchers at the University of Michigan now report upon the use of a telemedicine approach to bring mammography to Native American women in North and South Dakota.

They combined digital mammography with satellite technology to transmit images direct from the women's reservations to the University of Michigan. The radiologist could read them immediately and those women who needed further images taking could have them done then and there, or within three days. The telemedicine unit, owned by the Indian Health Service, visited seven reservations and took 515 digital mammograms. The time between transmission and obtaining a report was an average of 50 minutes. Of the 58 women who needed further images, 72 per cent could have this done immediately and the rest within three days.

The radiologists found the mammograms to be of excellent quality. The findings should help improve the access of Native American women to breast cancer screening. At present, only ten per cent get their yearly mammogram because they need to travel so far to reach a conventional mobile unit. The service is to be offered again in 2007.

Source
Radiological Society of North America meeting 28th November 2006

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