Return to Pointer View home page September 16,  2005

Military clinical breast study underway at KACH 

Story and photo by Kathy Eastwood
Staff Writer

Keller Army Community Hospital is participating in a study of an electronic impedance scanner to investigate the possibility of early detection of breast cancer in women from the ages of 30-45.

“There are five military hospitals participating in this five-year study,” said Joyce Epstein-Ross, a nurse practitioner at KACH in charge of the breast study.

The project was initiated by Lt. Col. Alexander Stojadinovic, a surgical oncologist at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Other hospitals involved are Kimbrough Ambulatory Care Clinic at Fort Meade, Md., DeWitt Health Care Network at Fort Belvoir, Va. and Malcolm Grow Air Force Medical Center at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., according to Epstein-Ross.

Epstein-Ross said the EIS is not going to replace mammography or other tests for breast cancer, but the study is important because it can add another tool in the fight against breast cancer.

“Young women may be at risk because diagnosing breast cancer in younger women is more difficult, because the breast tissue tends to be denser,” she said.

Epstein-Ross said the scanners have been studied within the private sector for five years using different age groups, with the results currently in the tabulating stage.

“The idea behind the EIS is to measure electrical resistance in the breast. Different types of tissue have different electrical impedance levels, which is a measurement of how fast electricity travels through a given material. The scanner will produce a green or red line along with a two dimensional image of the breast. Green suggests nothing and red indicates there is something there that needs to be further investigated,” she said.

“A red line does not necessarily mean cancer as the scanner doesn’t indicate what the problem is other than some sort of electrical resistance. The EIS could be picking up a cyst or mole,” she added.

Epstein-Ross said she repeats the test if a red line is displayed. Of the 72 women participating in the study at KACH, six had a red line on the first test and green on the second. Two had a red line when the test was repeated, indicating further investigation.

“I always go by the first test if it is red for further study such as a mammogram and on to sonograms and other tests if they are positive,” she explained. “Early detection of breast cancer and treatment is absolutely necessary for survival.”

Epstein-Ross said the test is not harmful and it doesn’t hurt.

“The scanner consists of a hand-held scanning probe and a computer screen that displays two-dimensional images of the breast, along with a red or green line. An electrode patch, like those used for electrocardiograms is placed on the patient’s arm with a small amount of electrical current transmitted through the patch and into the body,” she explained.

For information on the study or to participate, call Epstein-Ross at 938-8387. To schedule an appointment, call 938-7992.