
A report prepared by the National Breast Cancer Center - The Programme for the Early Detection of Breast Cancer at the Ministry of Health has revealed interesting data regarding the work of Laniado Hospital's Mammography Institute. The National Breast Cancer Center examined the mammography examinations performed at Israel's mammography institutes and compared their results with the international objectives for early detection of breast cancer.
In addition, the report compared the mammography results with the findings in cases when surgery was performed. The most significant statistic was the 'false negative', which are the number of examinations that did not detect suspicious findings when the existence of breast cancer was subsequently confirmed. The percentage of false negatives in all categories at Laniado's Mammography Institute was 0%!
"I was delighted to receive the Ministry of Health report," says Dr.Yosef Deri, Director of the Mammography Institute. "The findings did not surprise me. The Institute is equipped with advanced medical equipment and we are looking to improve on this with the purchase of a new mammography machine with 3D imaging. In recent years we acquired a Mammotome which is a device that makes it possible to take biopsies with a very high degree of precision, thereby avoiding repeated biopsies and sparing patients surgical biopsies. In addition, we acquired an elastography ultrasound program which makes it possible to assess the level of flexibility / rigidity of suspicious tissue. This examination helps distinguish between benign tumors and growths suspected of being cancerous."
The report notes that "mammography detection rate of invasive tumors among women ages 50-74 who underwent repeated screening is 8.5/1000 - almost twice as high as the target rate, reflecting the Institute's outstanding detection capability." A screening examination is an initiated mammography recommended by the Ministry of Health every two years for the purpose of early detection of breast cancer.
Laniado Hospital's Mammography Institute is now recognised as one of Israel's leading facilities for the early detection of breast cancer.