GE HealthCare's Omnipaque Approved for Enhanced Breast Cancer Screening in Korea

At a recent conference, Professor Shin Hee-jung of the Department of Radiology at Asan Medical Center presented the transformative potential of Contrast-Enhanced Mammography (CEM) in breast cancer diagnostics. Describing CEM as a "game-changer," she emphasized its combination of mammography's accessibility and MRI's enhanced visibility.

CEM demonstrates several advantages over traditional imaging methods, showing no significant differences in specificity and overall performance. It effectively detects small lesions often missed by standard mammography, particularly in dense breast tissue, which affects 80% of Korean women. Notably, CEM can be performed in just 10 minutes at a fraction of the cost of MRI.

With a sensitivity of 96.5% for detecting lesions in dense breasts, compared to 75.6% for standard mammography, recent studies showcase CEM's efficacy. Furthermore, it offers similar sensitivity to MRI while being less demanding on resources, addressing the current strain on MRI facilities.

Shin noted that CEM's lower cost and smaller equipment size could lead to broader adoption, particularly in smaller clinics and hospitals, improving access to advanced diagnostics. The technique is gaining recognition in international guidelines, with both the American College of Radiology (ACR) and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) recommending it as an alternative when MRI is not feasible.

With the recent approval of Omnipaque for CEM use in Korea, marking the first such approval in Asia, Shin expressed optimism about its potential to enhance breast cancer diagnosis and patient outcomes, ultimately contributing to improved early detection rates and survival.