Gamma Medica's LumaGEM Molecular Breast Imaging (MBI) system has been installed on a first-of-its-kind mobile imaging vehicle.

The system, which provides vital insight into cancer detection for women with dense breasts, will now be traveling across the Wisconsin countryside between five Marshfield Clinic Health System locations to bring diagnostic insight to patients who might not otherwise have access to it.

Dense breast tissue makes it more difficult to detect cancer since both lesions and dense tissue appear white on a mammogram. By increasing access to this secondary screening solution, Marshfield and Gamma Medica hope to address what Philip M. Croxford, president and CEO of Gamma Medica, called a "significant unmet clinical need."
Croxford told HCB News that mobilizing the LumaGEM MBI was a logical choice in the atmosphere of evolving health care delivery. He said that creating ways for more advanced modalities to be shared among members of a health system beyond the central facility, "balances efficiency and expertise."

Unlike many other imaging modalities, such as CT and MR, MBI presents few logistical challenges for vehicle installation. "It’s small, extremely sensitive, has great specificity, costs one fifth as much [as MR], is lighter, easier to install, and you don’t need extensive training to use it," Croxford said, adding that the main concern is keeping the unit secure during transport.

"We are proud to be home to the first mobile MBI unit in the world, and we hope to inspire health systems and hospitals to continue to expand their mobile medical programs," said Dr. Susan Turney, CEO of Marshfield Clinic Health System, in a statement. "Increased access to screening exams results in more effective care, helping patients return to better health and enjoying life."

Marshfield is adding the mobile MBI unit to an existing fleet of mobile imaging trailers that already includes a mammography screening unit, a mammo and bone density screening unit, and a mammo and primary care unit.

According to Croxford, other facilities have began investigating their interest in mobilizing their MBI modalities. Gamma Medica, meanwhile, is focusing on ways to make the systems even smaller and lighter. Increased portability and mobility may be a logical extension of those objectives.

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