Thiru. Ma. Subramaniam, Health Minister of Tamil Nadu, opened India’s first and only ‘breast-exclusive’ PET scan facility at Meenakshi Mission Hospital and Research Center. Known as ‘mammography with molecular imaging’ (MAMMI), this PET scan is designed exclusively for detecting breast cancer. It can detect tumour at the earliest possible time and stage, when the tumour is as small as 1 cm or less, thus paving the way for early identification and treatment.
The inaugural function witnessed the participation of Mr. Justice Munishwar Nath Bhandari, Honorable Chief Justice, Madras High Court, Dr. S. Gurushankar, Chairman, Meenakshi Mission Hospital and Research Centre, Madurai, and Mrs. Kamini Gurushankar.
Breast cancer is one of the commonest cancers affecting women. One in 28 women are at risk of developing breast cancer during their lifetime. However, it is often detected late – this contributes to higher rates of morbidity and mortality. PET scan is the most advanced screening method available now. It can detect the emergence of cancerous cells earlier than a mammogram (an X-ray picture of the breast) or a CT or MRI scan.
However, today hospitals and diagnostic centers only have whole-body PET scans. In contrast, MAMMI is a breast-dedicated PET scan. While a whole-body PET scan can detect tumours when they have grown beyond 1.5 or 2 cm, MAMMI PET can do so even before a person develops a mass or lump beyond 2 mm.
Early identification gives doctors the possibility of curative treatment and preempts mutilating surgeries and unnecessary adjunctive therapies. MAMMI PET can also tell how patients respond to chemotherapy.
SOURCE: The Hindu
DATE: 26.07.2022
