News | Breast Imaging | September 27, 2019

Research funded by $3.6 million grant from the National Cancer Institute

University of Arizona to Develop New CT-Based Breast Cancer Diagnostic Imaging Method

September 27, 2019 — Researchers at the University of Arizona Health Sciences are seeking a new and more accurate way to diagnose breast cancer and contribute to improved outcomes for patients worldwide.

The National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, recently awarded a $3.6 million, five-year R01 grant to advance the research of Andrew Karellas, Ph.D., DABR, FAAPM, FACR, and Srinivasan Vedantham, Ph.D., DABR, FAAPM, professors in the Department of Medical Imaging who share the same passion for detecting breast cancer at its earliest stage.

This latest round of NIH funding enables Karellas and Vedantham to further improve the identification of cancerous breast tissue. The Biomedical Imaging Innovation and Clinical Translation in Next-Gen CT (BIG-CT) team will design, develop and clinically evaluate a new generation of breast-specific computed tomography that will provide 3-D images of breast tissue. Their unique patient-positioning design alleviates the need for breast compression that often is painful for patients undergoing mammograms. 

More than reducing patient discomfort with breast cancer screening, BIG-CT research aims to provide an accurate estimate of breast density, a known risk factor for breast cancer.  The research team also is working to reduce the occurrence of false positives, which require additional exams and biopsies.

The UA researchers anticipate the fully 3-D nature of their tomographic images will improve the detection of abnormal findings and quickly allow doctors to determine whether the findings are malignant or noncancerous.

Karellas and  Vedantham are the principal investigators; co-investigators include Kimberly Fitzpatrick, M.D. (medical imaging); Marisa Borders, M.D. (medical imaging); Leigh Neumayer, M.D., MS, FACS (surgery); Denise Roe, DrPH (epidimeology and biostatistics); and Lauren LeBeau, M.D. (pathology).

Since their arrival at the UA in 2017, the professors, along with Hsin-Wu Tseng, Ph.D., have improved the methods for capturing images used for breast cancer imaging. As directors of the BIG-CT research laboratory, Karellas and Vedantham, also members of the UA Cancer Center, have endeavored to improve the process of breast cancer detection, a disease that affects about 1 in 8 U.S. women.

For more information: www.medicine.arizona.edu


Related Content

News | Breast Imaging

July 8, 2025 — QT Imaging Holdings, has appointed Elaine Iuanow, MD, as chief medical officer (CMO) and Kim Du as senior ...

Time July 09, 2025
arrow
News | Breast Imaging

July 7, 2025 — SimonMed Imaging, one of the largest outpatient medical imaging providers in the United States, has ...

Time July 08, 2025
arrow
News | Breast Imaging

June 25, 2025 — QT Imaging Holdings, Inc., a medical device company engaged in research, development, and ...

Time June 25, 2025
arrow
News | Women's Health

June 23, 2025 — Susan G. Komen, the world’s leading breast cancer organization, recently announced it is awarding $10.8 ...

Time June 23, 2025
arrow
News | PET-CT

June 19, 2025 — Building on a collaboration that spans more than three decades, GE HealthCare has renewed its research ...

Time June 19, 2025
arrow
Feature | Women's Health | Christine Murray

In breast cancer detection, speed and accuracy are more than clinical goals – they can significantly increase chances ...

Time June 17, 2025
arrow
News | PET Imaging

May 30, 2025 — GE HealthCare recently announced that the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines) ...

Time May 30, 2025
arrow
News | Imaging Software Development

May 27, 2025 — DeepLook Medical, a company advancing medical imaging through visual enhancement technology, recently ...

Time May 28, 2025
arrow
News | Mammography

April 29, 2025 — iCAD, a global provider of clinically proven AI-powered cancer detection solutions, has announced a ...

Time April 29, 2025
arrow
News | Mammography

April 24, 2025 — GE HealthCare will feature its latest advancements in diagnostic accuracy and patient-centered breast ...

Time April 24, 2025
arrow
Subscribe Now