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With October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month the Knoxville Hospital and Clinics have recently announced the addition of 3D mammography technology at the hospital. 3D mammograms has been shown to have greater accuracy than the standard 2D mammogram. While standard 2D mammograms take an image of the top and bottom side of a patient’s breast, the 3D mammogram takes images of the breast from many angles as the X-ray tube moves across the breast in a 50-degree arc. Mammogram Technologist Angela Lund with the hospital tells KNIA/KRLS News the hospitals Girls Night Out event this evening would be a great time to check out the new technology. She says women can feel free to stop in and check out the new machine and start scheduling their appointments. 

The new 3D mammograms allow imagery of the breast to be assembled into a 3D study so doctors can see the breast tissue in fine detail. The 3D image allows them to see clearly through breast tissue that may be overlapping, or through the tissue of women with dense breasts. They are better able to detect and diagnose small tumors and rule out abnormalities that may have looked suspicious in the patient’s 2D mammogram. Though it provides a similar X-ray exposure as a 2D mammogram, the benefits of using 3D include improving breast cancer detection, reducing false-positive findings and cutting patient call backs.