[ [CASE FOR SUPPORT – 3D TOMO

BLUE RIDGE REGIONAL HOSPITAL

Visitors to our area will attest to its bountiful natural beauty, progressive community activists engaged in civic growth and development and a vibrant arts community with over 600 well-known artists. No one who lives in Mitchell or Yancey County would dispute these assessments, but residents are also likely to believe that getting the newest innovations in health care means driving to or beyond Asheville. Mission Health is committed to providing the best care in each community we serve. Blue Ridge Regional Hospital, a critical access center, saw over 15,500 patients in the ER last year, and admitted just over 2,000. The hospital clearly serves an essential purpose in the community when there is an emergency, but not everyone knows that it also plays an increasingly prominent role in community wellness. Fitness and rehabilitation assure that community members fully recover from their injuries; diagnostics must be in place to detect and diagnose disease early, when treatments can be most effective.

Blue Ridge Regional Hospital serves the combined population of over 32,000 people living in Mitchell and Yancey Counties, where approximately 19% of locals live below the federal poverty level. Median income in Mitchell County is $37,680, and in Yancey County, it is $38,579. Families living at or below the median, or even slightly above the median, do not always have reliable transportation, or the luxury of taking a full day off for a health screening. They are less likely to know about the advances in health care that are prevalent in larger urban areas, but when their family is facing an illness, they need to be assured that the care they are receiving locally is the best care available.

This is particularly true when we are dealing with cancer, a diagnosis that is so frightening to individuals and families, for good reason. While cancer is the 2nd leading cause of death nationally, it ranks first in North Carolina. In Yancey and Mitchell Counties, 260+ families hear that diagnosis each year. In 2016, more than forty women in our area are likely to get a breast cancer diagnosis. Blue Ridge Regional Hospital provided 1679 screening and 309 diagnostic mammograms last year. The facility has older equipment that has a small filed of view, which require that women with larger breasts need two pictures of each position for a standard 2D mammogram.

With the aging of the population, the number of cancer diagnoses will increase. Survival rates improve with early detection in a majority of cancers, but particularly with breast cancer. For women diagnosed at the earliest stage, survival rates are extremely high. Those who are diagnosed late, at stage four, have a 24% survival rate. The new 3D tomosynthesis technology is a leap forward in patient care for this community, catching cancer earlier and with less exposure to radiation for each individual. Utilizing 3D tomosynthesis can help eliminate additional imaging (which incurs more radiation), relieve anxiety, and provide better quality imaging for diagnosis.

The case that follows reveals a breakthrough in the early diagnosis of breast cancer that will, for many women, be the difference between surviving and thriving or dying of the disease. It is a case for making that early diagnosis available locally, to all women, regardless of income. It is about making this region as well known for its innovation as for its natural beauty.

CASE FOR BREAST CANCER

One in eight women will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in her lifetime. While advances in treatment have improved survival rates, one of the keys to that success is early detection. Women whose breast cancer is detected at an early stage have a 93 percent or more survival rate in the first five years.

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) reports that approximately 20% of cancers are missed at 2D mammography screenings. Enhancing diagnosis, care and treatment starts with state-of-the-art technology. The new gold standard for early detection is 3D tomosynthesis, which allows radiologists to see through layers of tissue to detect small cancers, multiple tumors, or invasive breast cancer.

Standard mammograms take one fixed picture of compressed breast tissue from the top, and one picture from the side. In 3D tomosynthesis, the x-ray tube moves in an arc around the breast that has been secured and takes images that are sent to a computer to be assembled into a highly-focused, three-dimensional view. The process takes a few seconds longer than 2D. The new technology effectively arranges the images of the breast into readable segments that allow a radiologist to see underlying structures more easily.Approximately two-thirds of women under 50, and 25% of women over 50 have dense breast tissue (more fibrous) that looks white on the image, making small and invasive tumors harder to detect using conventional mammography. For any woman who has received the “results inconclusive, more tests necessary” call or letter, the benefits of 3D high-resolution imaging can include less follow-up imaging and reduced anxiety.

3D TOMO

DETECTIONPreliminary results on 3D tomosynthesis have demonstrated that call-backs for further tests or imaging are down by as much as 15%. Additionally, there has been a 29% increase in overall breast cancer detection over 2D imaging. Detection at earlier stages of the disease saves lives.

COSTMedicare began covering 3D tomosynthesis in 2015. Many other insurers will not cover the cost of 3D tomosynthesis at this time, but women can choose a co-pay of $30 - $75 to have 3D rather than 2D images made.

ENVIRONMENTMission Health System hospitals offer imaging suites that have warm and inviting environments, registered mammographers, and highly specialized radiologists to interpret the images. Together these professionals meet national standards for service to the community. The equipment that they use needs to be equally high quality. 3D tomosynthesis is an evolution in care that will benefit the community.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

The cost to fund this case for support is $600,000.

The new 3D tomosynthesis mammography technology is a leap forward in patient care for each of these communities. Early detection of breast cancer partnered with high-technology imaging systems will provide women in our region with an even higher chance of survival in the fight against breast cancer. The availability of this technology in these communities is a valued convenience for area women who want to keep their day-to-day health care local.

WAYS TO GIVE

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Contact InformationMission Health System Foundation890 Hendersonville Road, Suite 300Asheville, North Carolina 28803-1739

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