Cartersville Native Gives Piedmont Atlanta Hospital Gift To Enhance Breast Health Technology

The Doris Shaheen Breast Health Center at Piedmont Atlanta Hospital now offers 3-D breast imaging technology thanks to a generous gift from Doris Shaheen, a Cartersville native, and husband, Shouky, to purchase two Tomosynthesis units. The Tomosynthesis 3-dimensional imaging units take better images of the breast interior, decreasing the number of "false positive" diagnoses and increasing the chances of early detection of cancer.

Piedmont Atlanta is one of few hospitals in the area offering the new technology. Breast tomosynthesis allows doctors to examine breast tissue one layer at a time, building what is essentially a 3-dimensional mammogram.

"While digital mammography is still one of the most advanced technologies today, it's only a 2-dimensional picture of the breast," said Handel Reynolds, M.D. F.A.C.R, radiologist at the Doris Shaheen Breast Health Center at Piedmont Atlanta. "The overlap of normal tissue in a standard mammogram can result in two types of errors: false positive readings where there is the appearance of a tumor that isn't actually there, and false negative readings where true cancer is obscured by the overlapping normal tissue and is missed."

The tomosynthesis 3-dimensional imaging unit donated by Doris and Shouky Shaheen reduces this problem by producing a series of contiguous thin slices of breast tissue that have minimal distracting overlap, allowing a better image of the breast interior and improving chances of early detection.

According to the American Cancer Society, about one in eight women (12%) will develop invasive breast cancer during their lifetime. Over 232,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed in 2013. Survival rates, however, have continued to increase due to early detection, increased awareness and improved treatment options. At this time, there are more than 2.9 million breast cancer survivors in the United States.

"Early detection is the key to winning the battle over breast cancer," said Dr. Reynolds. "Doris Shaheen - a breast-cancer survivor herself - continues to support Piedmont in our efforts to offer our patients the best technology available.  We thank Doris and Shouky for their continued commitment to the fight against breast cancer."

The center is named in honor of Doris Shaheen in 2004 after her husband, Shouky, whose major donation fund the breast health program. The center was the first breast health facility in Georgia to be accredited in all its modalities-including mammography, ultrasound and stereotactic biopsy.

In addition to 3-D breast imaging, the Doris Shaheen Breast Health Center at Piedmont Atlanta provides screening and diagnostic mammography, breast MRI and stereotactic and ultrasound-guided core biopsies.

Regular screening mammograms, breast self-exams and yearly breast exams by your doctor can help detect breast cancer at an early stage. If you have concerns or would like more information about breast health, please contact the Doris Shaheen Breast Health Center at 404-605-2782.

As a not-for-profit hospital, Piedmont Atlanta relies on the generosity of donors like the Shaheens in order to offer many programs and advanced medical technology to the community. For more information about the Doris Shaheen Breast Health Center or to make a donation in support of the center, visit piedmont.org.