New 3-D mammogram makes screening test a little better

About 10 percent of women who get mammography screening undergo additional testing for findings that later turn out to be benign. So a 7 percent improvement would lower that rate down to 9.3 percent -- not bad but still not significantly lowering the rate of biopsies for nonmalignant lumps.

Hologic, the Bedford-based manufacturer of the 3-D technology, says the cost for the new scan and whether it's covered by insurers remains unknown at this point. The company "is working closely with a team of reimbursement professionals to achieve reimbursement ... as soon as possible," a statement from Hologic reads. "It is not possible to predict how long this will take at this point."

Radiologists can purchase the 3-D software as an add-on to Hologic's 2-D Selenia Dimension system. And it can be used along with the 2-D scan as a first-line screening test that could be particularly useful, Hologic said, "to reveal the inner architecture of the breast, free from the distortion typically caused by tissue shadowing or density."

The one major drawback beyond the added cost for the 3-D image is the increased radiation: The FDA said the combination of the 2-D and 3-D images "approximately doubled the radiation dose the patient received" and "there is uncertainty for radiation risk estimates."

That said, the FDA determined that the reduced risk of extra mammogram screenings and biopsies to investigate abnormalities that turn out to be benign outweighs the added risk of radiation from the 3-D scan.