Seno Medical Instruments touted the 100th patient enrolled in a pivotal clinical study of the company’s Imagio system, an opto-acoustic breast imaging platform designed to help prevent unnecessary biopsies.
The Imagio system combines traditional ultrasound with light-based imaging, providing physicians with a closer look at "suspicious" breast masses without subjecting patients to radiation, injectable contrast agents or invasive biopsies.
"Scanning the 1st 100 patients and starting the active enrollment phase is an important milestone for us in our mission to deliver a new standard in breast cancer diagnosis," Seno CEO Janet Campbell said in prepared remarks. "We believe Imagio can offer a better diagnostic alternative for women who have suspicious breast masses, and can help physicians more confidently rule out cancer with a less invasive test."
There are about 1.7 million surgical breast biopsies performed in the U.S. yearly, 80% of which reveal benign tissue, according to the company. As the most costly part of breast cancer diagnosis, avoiding unnecessary biopsies may be able to bring down the cost of care and prevent patients from undergoing needless invasive procedures.
The Imagio system looks for the extensive system of blood vessels that typically grow around cancerous tumors, which require significant amount of blood and oxygen to support their accelerated growth. An Imagio reading showing extensive vasculature and low oxygen levels may indicate cancer, according to the company.