One-hundred fifty patients who had suspicious lesions smaller than 2 cm in size were imaged using dual-head molecular breast imaging. "There were 128 cancers confirmed in 88 patients," according to Carrie B. Hruska, MD, lead author of the study. "The sensitivity rate of dual-head MBI during the study was 90% (115/128)", she said.

"Dual head MBI involves a very light, pain-free compression of the breast. Two views of each breast are performed, lasting for about 10 minutes per view," said Dr. Hruska. "The patient receives an IV injection of a commonly used radiotracer and this tracer circulates throughout the body and is preferentially absorbed in the breast cancer," she said.

MBI is about the same cost as digital mammography. Although mammography works very well for most women, there are many women who could benefit from an additional test like dual head MBI that is both cost-effective and also has a good specificity (meaning it won't give a lot of false positive results). It would be useful for women who have very dense breasts on mammography or who are at an increased risk of developing breast cancer," said Dr. Hruska.

"MBI is still in the research stages, but it is expected to become more widely available in the future," said Dr. Hruska.

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"Our study provides additional support for the notion that choline is an important nutrient that has to be considered when dietary guidelines are developed," said Krzysztof Blusztajn, Ph.D., Professor of Pathology at Boston University and the study's senior researcher. "We hope it will be possible to develop nutritional guidelines for pregnant women that ensure the good health of their offspring well into old age."

The researchers also found multiple genetic and molecular changes in the rats' tumors that correlated with survival outcomes. For example, the slow growing tumors in rats had a genetic pattern similar to those seen in breast cancers of women who are considered to have a good prognosis. The fast growing tumors in mice had a pattern of genetic changes similar to those seen in women with a more aggressive disease. The researchers also found evidence that these genetic changes may result from the way that choline affects modifications of the DNA within the mammary gland of fetuses as they develop in the womb.

The National Cancer Institute estimates that there will be more than 184,000 new cases of breast cancer in 2008 and more than 40,000 deaths. Treatments for women suffering from breat cancer range from hormone therapy to surgery.

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