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Louisiana has some of the highest breast cancer rates in the country. In fact, breast cancer mortality is higher than the national average. Unfortunately, the death toll disparately impacts African American women.

“Consistent, regular breast cancer screening saves lives,” Dr. Brooke Morrell, LSU Health New Orleans Radiologist said during a webinar presented by the Louisiana Cancer Research Center last year. “So what do we recommend for finding breast cancers early, when they're more treatable? We recommend digital mammography. Mammography is still the gold standard for finding breast cancers,” she said.

Dr. Brooke Morrell and her colleague,  LSU Health New Orleans Radiologist  Mignonne Morrell, presented some helpful information about the ins and outs of screenings for breast cancer. Dr. Mignonne Morrell urged viewers to enroll in a clinical trial comparing standard 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional mammograms.   “It's the first randomized clinical trial comparing standard digital 2-D mammogram to 3-D imaging.  The objective is to determine if 3-D is more effective at reducing advanced breast cancers. It’s also creating the largest curated database of images and biospecimens in order to inform our future clinical research and provide personalized risk-based screening recommendations in the future.”

The excerpt above provides a helpful overview of what to expect when undergoing a mammogram and additional screening exams that can help physicians identify a suspicious mass.

Participating Louisiana sites and contact information to enroll in the TMIST trial can be accessed here.  

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