LSU Health Participation in TMIST Seeks Answers About Best Breast Cancer Screening
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Leslie Capo, Director of Information Services
The Gulf South National Cancer Institute (NCI) Community Oncology Research Program
(NCORP), led by LSU Health New Orleans with its partner institutions Mary Bird Perkins
Cancer Center, LSU Health Shreveport and Ochsner, has enrolled nearly 2,000 women
in a breast cancer screening trial that will help determine the best ways to find
breast cancer in women who have no symptoms. Under the direction of the principal
investigator Augusto Ochoa, MD, at the Stanley S. Scott Cancer Center, LSU Health
New Orleans has enrolled more than 900 participants at University Medical Center,
with more than 200 at Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center and more than 600 at LSU Health
Shreveport.
The Tomosynthesis Mammographic Imaging Screening Trial, or TMIST, compares 2-D mammograms and 3-D mammograms. 2-D mammograms are the standard mammography procedures, which produce two-dimensional images of the breast. 3-D mammograms feature a 3-D image of the breast made from several low-dose X-rays from different angles around the breast to create the 3-D image.
“This study will determine if 3-D mammography is better than 2-D at finding aggressive breast cancers early in women in different age groups and with different risk factors,” notes Dr. Ochoa.
The main goal of TMIST is to measure and compare the rates of newly diagnosed breast cancer that meet certain criteria, including tumor size, spread, and characteristics such as HER2 positivity and triple-negativity.
Women ages 45 to 74 who plan to get a routine screening mammogram are eligible for this trial. Women who are interested in enrolling may call 866-559-2476.
Once enrolled in the trial, women will be randomly assigned by a computer to receive either 3-D or 2-D screening mammograms for 5 years. The frequency of mammograms will depend on several factors, including age, breast density, family history, use of hormones, and menopausal status. During the study, the results of every mammogram from every woman will be collected, whether the mammograms are normal or not. Information about any medical follow-up, such as more imaging or a biopsy, will also be recorded. All women will be followed until the end of the study for breast cancer status, treatment, and results from treatment.
Researchers are also looking at whether 3-D mammography might help certain groups of women. Questions they are trying to answer include:
- Among the women who receive 3-D mammography, will there be fewer harder-to-treat cancers in certain groups, such as those with dense breasts, African Americans, premenopausal women, and women on hormone replacement therapy?
- Will there be fewer false-positive test results in the entire study group or among certain groups?
- Is there a link between certain findings from the mammograms and the most aggressive
breast cancers?