Imaging Endpoints Brings Patented Technology To Breast Cancer Fight
October 12, 2021 – Breast cancer is the most aggressive cancer in women and the second leading cause of cancer death, other than lung cancer, for women. Worldwide, breast cancer is now (as of 2021) the most common cancer globally accounting for 12% of all new cancers diagnosed.
Despite significant progress in the early detection, treatment and post-procedure care of breast cancer, it remains a major challenge for all medical specialties involved. It is estimated that almost 300,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women in the US in 2021 with another 43,600 who will succumb to the disease. Although death rates have continued to decline for women over the age of 50, they have remained steady since 2007 for women under that age. Yet, in 70-80 percent of patients with early-stage disease, breast cancer is completely curable. Such data reinforce the importance of early detection and screening, which is mostly performed through mammography.
The impact of mammography has been especially important in reducing mortality from breast cancer for women older than 50 years of age. However, some degree of controversy persists surrounding mammography as overdiagnosis leading to repeat imaging, biopsy and potentially unnecessary treatment is considered a harmful consequence of mammography.
This is where the addition of other imaging techniques such as MRI and molecular imaging play a role particularly for women with a strong family history of the disease. In addition, the identification of various biomarkers based on gene expression and mutation profiles of breast cancer has helped identify patients earlier in the disease process thereby allowing prompt initiation of more effective therapies. Despite evident progress at the molecular level, much more is needed especially when considering the still dismal prognosis of patients with triple-negative breast cancer, characterized by rapid growth, a high risk of distant recurrence and poor survival. Curing advanced breast cancer, therefore, remains challenging. Multidisciplinary management of the disease through both locoregional and systemic treatment is often needed, and management of breast cancer should be individualized and based on the tumor biology and close evaluation of early treatment response so that alternate therapies can be activated more quickly if needed.
Imaging Endpoints is a pioneer and global leader in analyzing diagnostic images to identify imaging patterns linked to tumor biology. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued Patent No. 10,854,338 – “PREDICTING BREAST CANCER RESPONSIVENESS TO HORMONE TREATMENT USING QUANTITATIVE TEXTURAL ANALYSIS” to Imaging Endpoints’ and its inventor, Chief Medical Officer, Ron Korn, M.D., Ph.D.
This breakthrough radiomic evaluation tool provides a biomarker for predicting tumor aggressiveness in breast cancer patients, and thus the ability to determine whether less invasive treatment (e.g., hormone therapy) or more invasive treatment (e.g., chemotherapy) is warranted. The technology enables a real-time evaluation that is otherwise available only through an invasive biopsy and avoids the time involved in obtaining and processing the biopsied tissue.
Imaging Endpoints is excited to share with the market this new technology that can provide patients and physicians the advantage of faster, less invasive information that is critical to treatment decisions and patient outcomes.
At Imaging Endpoints, we deploy all available detection and evaluation methodologies as well as emerging technologies and biomarkers to work toward our mission of Connecting Imaging to the CureTM for Breast Cancer. For more information contact us at the cure@imagingendpoints.com to learn more and arrange time to speak to one of our experts.
