MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. (SNN) — HCA Florida Blake Hospital drops a game-changing breast cancer detection technology. It’s called Contrast Enhanced Mammography.
HCA Florida Blake Hospital is among the first 10 centers in the nation to use this new technology, which uses artificial intelligence to better identify cancer in patients.
“I’m not a technology person, but I’m very grateful that Blake has invested so much in this particular process,” said Debbie Murphy, breast cancer survivor and Longboat Key Commissioner.
Breast cancer has been a part of Murphy’s life for as long as she can remember. Her mother, sister, and both of her grandmothers were diagnosed with breast cancer.
“It’s something that I had always expected. My sister said the same thing when she was diagnosed. When you have three generations of women, all diagnosed, to me, it was a question of when I was going to be diagnosed, not if I was going to be diagnosed,” said Murphy.
Murphy was vigilant in monitoring her body for cancer, getting regular mammograms, breast MRI’s and biopsies.
In December, a routine mammogram showed some abnormalities.
Her physician wanted to get a sample of the area, but after around 9 biopsies Murphy wanted to go a different route.
“My primary care doctor suggested that I look into Blake’s radiology program. They offer a very specialized type of mammography, called Contrast Enhanced Spectral Mammography,” said Murphy.
This type of mammography provides MRI-quality images, allowing the radiologist to more accurately identify cancerous cells and disregard benign lesions.
“What’s the big deal? The big deal is AI,” said Dr. Philip Blaustein, Chief of Radiology at HCA Florida Blake Hospital
Artificial intelligence reviews the contrast-enhanced mammogram images and applies a percentage chance that lesions in the breast are cancerous.
“All of the studies that have been done comparing how radiologists perform whether you are using this AI CAD or not, show a significant difference somewhere between a 25 to 35% jump in cancer detection rate when you’re using AI,” said Dr. Blaustein.
Murphy appreciates how this tech eases anxiety.
“This type of mammography will identify a mass, and if it has basically some kind of blood supply, which is what a tumor is, it’ll light up, but if it doesn’t then that means it’s what a lot of my biopsies show, that it was basically something that’s benign. So it takes all of that anxiety away,” she said.
When it came to having the surgery, Murphy chose Breast Surgical Oncologist at HCA Florida Blake Surgical Specialists Dr. Heidi Emrani.
“We were able to build a really great relationship. One that I think was very trusting and not only was she a patient, but somebody that I would call a friend,” said Dr. Emrani.
The lumpectomy surgery was successful.
In March, the same month she had surgery, Murphy became a Longboat Key county commissioner, representing the 5th district.
“I have so many things to be grateful for and so I’ve chosen that I think it’s better rather than to live in fear and anxiety to the extent that you can, is to find something every day that you feel grateful for and to try to brace that day and make sure that you make it matter,” Murphy said.
To schedule a mammogram, visit HCA Florida Blake Hospital or call (866)463-7004.
