DMA Introduces New Mammography Service

Breast cancer screenings are a must for women after age 40. In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Dickson Medical Associates is pleased to announce a new digital mammography service that makes breast cancer easier to detect.

Beginning this fall, DMA will be offering Genius™ 3D MAMMOGRAPHY™ exams at their Crestview office. Developed by Hologic, Inc., Genius exams are clinically proven to significantly increase the detection of breast cancers, while simultaneously decreasing the number of women asked to return for additional testing.

As an affiliate provider of the Genius™ 3D MAMMOGRAPHY™, DMA will be the first and only medical group to offer this service to patients within a 50-mile radius west of Nashville.

“Women, median to senior age, represent the largest demographic in Dickson and neighboring counties,” said Cindy Lighthill, Executive Director for DMA. “We are excited to be the first to bring this state-of-the-art service closer to their communities.”

To celebrate the new mammography services, DMA will host an open house on Thursday, October 12th from 5 – 7 pm. The open house will feature an overview of the advantages of 3D mammograms, special giveaway prizes and delicious foods.

DMA is committed to the fight against breast cancer. By offering the Genius exam, DMA continues its medical mission to provide excellence, convenience and innovation for the Dickson community with a more accurate tool for breast cancer screening.

In conventional 2D mammography, overlapping tissue is a leading reason why small breast cancers may be missed and normal tissue may appear abnormal, leading to unnecessary callbacks. A Genius exam includes a three-dimensional method of imaging that can greatly reduce the tissue overlap effect.

A Genius exam includes both 2D images and tomosynthesis, or 3-D, scans. During the tomosynthesis portion of the exam, an X-ray arm sweeps in a slight arc over the breast, taking multiple images. A computer then converts the images into a stack of thin layers, allowing the radiologist to review the breast tissue one layer at a time. A Genius exam requires no additional compression and takes just a few seconds longer than a conventional 2D breast cancer screening exam.

Hologic’s Genius system is the only clinically superior breast tomosynthesis system approved by the FDA. The new system is recommended for women of all ages and breast densities.

According to the Hologic, 3-D mammography exams result in a 41 percent increase in invasive cancer detection and a 40 percent reduction in false positives compared with 2-D technology. This reduces unnecessary anxiety of call backs from false positives.

To date, more than 8 million women have been screened with this advanced screening system.

DMA Mammography, located at 127 Crestview Park Drive, is open Monday to Friday from 8 am – 4 pm. Appointments can be made by phone at 615-441-4550.

Dickson Medical Associates is one of the largest multispecialty, physician-owned medical groups in Tennessee. DMA has eight locations providing a wide range of medical services and diagnostic testing. The multispecialty practice of 22 physicians and eight mid-level providers offers the latest in medical technology and patient care for the five counties it serves. For more information about Dickson Medical Associates, please call (615) 446-5121 or (615) 446-5121, or go online to: www.dicksonmd.com/mammography.