Zee Media Bureau
New Delhi: Medanta- The Medicity, a multi-specialty medical institute has introduced a revolutionary technology, Vacuum Assisted Breast Biopsy (VABB), for the treatment of breast cancer.
Also known as MRI guided Vacuum assisted Breast Biopsy, the technology works in a very sensitive method and can pick up abnormalities as small as 1-2mm not visualised on ultrasound or mammography and only visible on MRI.
The treatment also ensures 99 per cent scar free detection and removal of breast cancer tumour for the first time in India.
In India, the average age of developing breast cancer has undergone a significant shift over the last few decades with an increasing number of young & middle-aged women suffering from disease.
Today, almost 48% of the breast cancer patients are below 50 years of age with an increasing number of patients in the 25 to 40 years of age bracket, which is a very disturbing trend.
Cultural taboos in India worsen the problem, with women generally delaying the process of diagnosis itself. However, with increasing awareness, more women are going for regular breast screening & mammography and especially if they fall in the high risk category, for an MRI for early and accurate detection of the disease.
With the ground-breaking Vacuum Assisted Breast Biopsy Technology, the biopsy for these small lesions can now be performed under MRI guidance.
MRI helps guide the doctor to the site of abnormality and the procedure requires only local anesthesia, reducing the whole procedure to a comfortable 45 minutes. The procedure involves a single needle insertion with vacuum pressure under the guidance of the MRI.
Without withdrawing and reinserting the needle, multiple samples can be collected, which are larger in size than a conventional needle biopsy procedure. Larger samples increase the accuracy of the diagnosis.
The Breast Imaging Department at Medanta - The Medicity enjoys the enviable reputation of being one of the first healthcare institutes in India to adopt this technology along with Multi-Modality Imaging equipments like the Mammography, Ultrasound & MRI.
It therefore, offers a diverse choice to the patient for better diagnosis.
Dr Jyoti Arora, who is a leading breast interventional radiologist in India and Sr. Consultant Radiologist at Medanta - The Medicity, is a regular user of this technology.
According to Dr Arora, “This technology is currently the one stop solution for all breast biopsy requirements and is highly recommended for difficult lesions when we can’t target them under other modalities like ultrasound and mammography. The Vacuum Assisted Breast Biopsy technology increases the efficiency, accuracy and eases of targeting such small breast lesions and therefore is practiced as a gold standard across the globe. “
Dr Arora, also says that this technology is now being used to remove small benign (no- cancerous) breast lumps after careful patient selection.
This whole scar free procedure can be done under local anesthetic as an OPD procedure.
The major advantages of VABB technology are: It is fast, with minimal access, scar free, with quick healing time and no risk of general anesthesia.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has predicted that by 2020, one in eight urban Indian women will develop breast cancer in her lifetime. Presently, one in four female cancer cases are breast cancers.
However, with the introduction of these high technology procedures in leading healthcare institutions like Medanta - The Medicity and other hospitals, India hopes to become the leading destination for world class healthcare solutions and patient care.
