With the incidence of breast cancer on the rise in the Arab world, health ministries are looking to raise awareness of the disease and enhance screening, diagnosis and treatment. A new ultrasound technology from GE Healthcare can help.

Newly launched in the region, the Invenia Automated Breast Ultrasound (ABUS) 2.0 can be used in conjunction with mammography to improve breast cancer detection, particularly for women with dense breast tissue. This natural physical attribute is common, with more than 40% of women in the United States having this attribute.

The ABUS ultrasound is the only U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved ultrasound supplemental breast screening technology specifically designed for detecting cancer in dense breast tissue.

When used in addition to mammography, ABUS can improve breast cancer detection by 37.5% over mammography alone.  Its use is cleared in all countries in the Middle East and North Africa.

Dense breast tissue is one of the common risk factors for developing breast cancer. Both cancer and dense tissue appear white on a mammogram, so tumors are often unseen – or “masked” – on mammography exams.

GE Healthcare launched ABUS in the region at a recent event by the Jordan Breast Cancer Program (JBCP), and initiative focused on increasing public awareness of breast cancer and improving the quality of diagnostic services.

The launch of the ABUS ultrasound at the event underlined GE Healthcare’s commitment to engage leading medical practitioners in the region with the latest technologies to help them advocate efficient screening for early diagnosis and care of breast cancer.