MISHAWAKA — Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center (SJRMC) is now offering Molecular Breast Imaging (MBI) at the Paqui and Brian Kelly Comprehensive Breast Center.

MBI is a new breast imaging technology. Using highly specialized detectors that have only recently become available, MBI is performed on a scanner that looks similar to a mammography machine. The MBI scanner does not emit any radiation. Prior to scanning, a small amount of radioactive tracer is injected into the patients arm. The tracer is absorbed by active tumor cells more than it is absorbed into healthy breast tissue. If a tumor is present, it shows up brightly while healthy tissue remains dark in the background.

The advantage of MBI is it provides functional images of the breast, and is not affected by breast density. For patients with dense breast tissue, and a family history of breast cancer, the results of an MBI exam combined with mammography may improve cancer detection.