September 19, 2016
West Columbia, S.C.– The Lexington Medical Center Foundation plans to raise $3 million to make revolutionary new breast cancer equipment available throughout the hospital’s network of care. The Lexington Medical Center Foundation is about to launch the “Campaign for Clarity,” a capital campaign to upgrade all of its current mammography equipment to 3-D technology. 3-D mammography will become the standard of care at Lexington Medical Center.
Currently, Lexington Medical Center offers 3-D mammography in two locations — at Women’s Imaging on the main campus in West Columbia, and at Sandhills Women’s Care, a Lexington Medical Center physician practice in Northeast Columbia.
The campaign will allow the hospital to purchase software and equipment to make 3-D mammography also available at Vista Women’s Healthcare, a Lexington Medical Center physician practice; Lexington Medical Center Chapin; Lexington Medical Center Irmo; Lexington Medical Center Lexington; and in its mobile mammography van that serves local businesses and the hospital’s rural community medical centers.
“We’re very excited to make 3-D mammography a reality for all patients at Lexington Medical Center,” said Barbara Willm, vice president of Community Relations and Development at Lexington Medical Center. “Until we can find a cure for breast cancer, we can make early detection our top priority.”
Also known as ‘tomosynthesis,’ 3-D mammography creates a group of three-dimensional pictures of the breast and allows doctors to view tissue one millimeter at a time, making tiny details visible earlier and easier.
“Patients will find that 3-D mammography is no different from the mammogram they are accustomed to as far as compression, positioning and time,” said Jennifer Linfert, MD, FACOG, an OB/GYN at Sandhills Women’s Care. “The benefit to patients is that the multiple layers of images resulting from 3-D mammography can help doctors better evaluate the breast tissue.”
3-D mammography uses a low dose X-ray to create multiple images within seconds that are similar to the “slices” of images in a CT scan. The FDA-approved procedure uses the same type of equipment as a 2-D mammogram and a similar dose of radiation. Studies have shown that 3-D mammography also reduces false positives and unnecessary callbacks for patients with dense breast tissue.
To learn more about the “Campaign for Clarity” or to contribute to the campaign, visit LMCFoundation.com or call (803) 791-2540.
Lexington Medical Center is a 607-bed teaching hospital in West Columbia, South Carolina. It anchors a health care network that includes five community medical centers and employs a staff of more than 8,000 health care professionals. The hospital is ranked best hospital in the Columbia Metro and #2 hospital in South Carolina by U.S. News & World Report and was named one of the “Best Places to Work in South Carolina” by SC Biz News, in partnership with the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce and Best Companies Group. Lexington Medical Cancer Center is an accredited Cancer Center of Excellence and has a clinical research and education affiliation with MUSC Hollings Cancer Center. The network includes a cardiovascular program recognized by the American College of Cardiology as South Carolina's first HeartCARE Center. The network also has an occupational health center, the largest skilled nursing facility in the Carolinas, an Alzheimer's care center and more than 70 physician practices. Lexington Medical Center operates one of the busiest Emergency departments in South Carolina, treating nearly 100,000 patients each year. The hospital delivers more than 4,000 babies each year and performs more than 25,000 surgeries. Its postgraduate medical education programs include family medicine and transitional year residencies.
