ftp://ftp.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/BreastCancerAware.txt
Terri Hudkins
Headquarters, Washington, DC October 23, 1997
(Phone: 202/358-1977)
SPACE TECHNOLOGY USED TO DETECT AND TREAT BREAST CANCER
NASA today announced how its research and technology is
revolutionizing American lifestyles in many ways, including the
diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer. Teaming with industry,
academia and government, NASA joins the front lines in the battle
against the disease and continues its October campaign for Breast
Cancer Awareness Month.
"As a husband, father of two daughters, and a grandfather,
few subjects are as important to me as women's health," said NASA
Administrator Daniel S. Goldin. "That is why I am so proud of how
NASA technologies, originally developed for our space and
aeronautics programs, improve health care for women, men and
children around the world."
Breast cancer is the leading cause of death of women ages 35
to 50 in the United States. More than half a million women
undergo breast biopsies in the U.S. each year.
"The statistics of breast cancer are startling. Thanks to
NASA technology, doctors are using a more sensitive and efficient
diagnostic tool and a less painful, less traumatic procedure,"
said Administrator Goldin. "Looking to the future, NASA will
continue to search for more ways to use technology for breast
cancer diagnosis and treatment."
In addition to exploring space and developing aeronautics,
NASA is charged with applying its technology to improve the
quality of life.
"Our visionary researchers and entrepreneurs have made giant
leaps in applying technology to medical uses. Who would have
dreamed that we could map breast tissue by using the same
technology for mapping distant stars?" he concluded.
Several NASA biomedical experiments have resulted in
successful new technology programs between NASA, the National
Institutes of Health, the National Cancer Institute and the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services Office on Women's Health.
IN YOUR DOCTOR'S OFFICE TODAY
Digital Breast Imaging Technology
From research into the mysteries of the universe comes a
technology to better detect breast cancer. Silicon chips in the
Hubble Space Telescope that convert a distant star's light
directly into digital images have been adapted so doctors can
easily detect tiny spots in breast tissue. Locating the exact
spot allows doctors to analyze the tissue using a needle rather
than by traditional surgery. This procedure is less painful and
less traumatic for the patient and eliminates scarring or
disfigurement. The new procedure requires half the time of
traditional techniques and reduces costs from $3500 to $850.
The new technology images breast tissue more clearly and
efficiently than conventional x-rays. Both the Hubble Telescope
and mammograms require similar technology: high resolution to see
fine details, wide dynamic range to capture in a single image
structures spanning many levels of brightness, and low light
sensitivity to shorten exposure and reduce x-ray dosage. The new
highly sensitive Hubble-based technology is improving breast
cancer detection. Scientists working with Hubble at NASA's
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, continue to refine and
develop this technology.
TOMORROW'S TECHNOLOGY
Next Generation Digital Imaging Mammography
Space-based instruments used to study the atmosphere may soon
have a place in the medical examination room. This new approach
is significant because it can accommodate different tissue
density. This is particularly important for younger women, who
have more dense tissue than older women. This new technology
application is possible because atmospheric studies and
mammography both require compact, reliable, low-power sensors and
digital computers.
NASA is working with the National Institutes of Health on a
prototype that would create an image of the entire breast with
superior resolution.
The computer scans each part of every mammogram image and
reports any suspicious areas. The electronic images can then be
transmitted to other experts if more opinions are needed. Using
the best mammogram technique currently available, tumors as small
as 0.2 mm, about the thickness of a piece of thread, have been
detected. The goal of digital mammography is to identify clearly
tumors as small as 0.1 mm. The approach of NASA's Langley
Research Center, Hampton, VA, will be faster, safer, easier to use
and save countless lives.
Advanced Ultrasound Technology
Technology developed to improve the quality of pictures from Mars
Pathfinder is being modified to make three-dimensional models of
breast tissue. The NASA effort, led by scientists at NASA's Ames
Research Center's Computational Sciences Division, Moffett Field,
CA, combines ultrasound with advanced computing, automated
learning, and high-resolution imaging techniques developed for
space missions. Using the three-dimensional model, physicians
will be able to differentiate between cancerous and healthy tissue
without painful invasive procedures. The experimental system also
will discern differences in tissue by comparing changes in shape
and by analyzing the ultrasound signal. The system will
potentially improve cancer treatment by focusing ultrasound
signals on cancerous tissue without destroying healthy tissue.
Smart Robot Probe for Cancer Detection
NASA technology being developed to perform surgery on astronauts
in space is being adapted to help physicians operate on delicate
parts of the human body, including the brain and the breast. Led
by the NeuroEngineering Group at NASA's Ames Research Center,
scientists have developed a robot that can map physical
characteristics of the brain, allowing the surgeon to make precise
movements during surgery. The technology is being modified further
to have the robot feel tumors in other parts of the body to
determine severity and appropriate treatment.
The density of cancerous tissue is different from healthy tissue.
While a surgeon can, through experience, learn to feel the
difference, the experimental robot can use a smaller, less
invasive probe, and it can make more delicate and precise
movements than a human, thus reducing damage to healthy tissue and
arteries.
Telemammography
The most effective method for improving breast cancer survival is
early detection. For women living in remote areas, access to
mammography experts may be hundreds of miles away. Currently, the
traditional transmission of data through telephone lines is slow
and costly; it can take hours to transmit one image. NASA
technology will help provide quality medical diagnosis and
information services to remote areas in a faster, more cost-
effective manner.
Telemammography, the electronic transmission of digitized
mammograms, can connect patients in rural locations with medical
experts across the country.
NASA's Lewis Research Center, Cleveland, OH, working with breast
cancer research hospitals, including the Cleveland Clinic and the
University of Virginia, is performing critical research to allow
new satellite networks to support telemammography.
Tissue Growth in the NASA Bioreactor
NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX, is leading a project
using the microgravity of space to assemble and grow human tissue
for research and transplantation.
The bioreactor is a special tissue culture chamber designed by
NASA to grow cells in three dimensions. One of the first
experiments in this unique environment will allow cancer tissue to
be assembled and grown from individual cells. The three-
dimensional tissues are crucial to understanding cancer and how
the human immune system responds. The bioreactor permits
scientists to grow cells similar to tissues found in the human
body. By testing three-dimensional tissues for sensitivity to
chemotherapy and hormonal therapy, researchers gain valuable
knowledge important to the treatment of breast and ovarian cancer.
-end-
EDITOROS NOTE:
Photo and video resources and interview opportunities with
contacts nationwide are provided below.
Stereotactic Biopsy using HST technology
ú Photos: Sterotactic Biopsy Machine
94-HC-168 color; 94-H-180 b&w
Charged Coupling Device
94-HC-169 color; 94-H-183 b&w
Hubble Photos of Star Fields Using STIS
97-HC-314 color; 97-H-314 b&w
Hubble Space Telescope in space
94-HC-10 color: 94-H-13 b&w
Eagle Nebula Image using HST
95-HC-631 color; 95-H-631 b&w
Video resources: "War Against Breast Cancer" October 1995
"Stereotactic" Testimonials, Aug. 1996 TRT 3:30
Interviews:
Space Telescope Science Institute:
Mr. Ray Villard
Director of Public Affairs
Baltimore, MD
410/338-4514
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center:
Ms. Tammy Jones
Public Affairs Officer
Greenbelt, MD
301/286-5566
Clinicians Using Technology:
David Dershaw, MD
Director, Breast Imaging
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
New York, NY
212/639-7295
Dr. Wendi Berg
Director, Breast Imaging
University of Maryland Medical Systems
Baltimore, MD
410/328-1289
For interviews with patients:
Ms. Chris Westerman, Director of Communications
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
New York, NY
212/639-3627
W. Phil Evans, MD, FACR
Medical Director, Susan Coleman Breast Center
Baylor University
Dallas, TX
214/820-4775
Steve H. Parker, MD
Medical Director, Sally Jobe Breast Center
Denver, CO
303/741-1501
Lawrence W. Bassett, MD
Iris Cantor Professor of Breast Imaging
University of California Los Angeles School of Medicine
Los Angeles, CA
310/206-9608
Valerie P. Jackson, MD
John A. Campbell Professor of Radiology
Indiana University School of Medicine
Indianapolis, IN
317/656-3919
Developer of CCDs for Hubble:
Al Jenkins
Scientific Imaging Technologies, Inc. (SITe)
Beaverton, OR
503/644-0688
Stereotactic Biopsy Equipment Manufacturer:
Ms. Anne Smith
Lorad Division, Trex Medical Corporation
Danbury, CT
203/790-1188
Digital Mammography
Photos: SAGE instruments
Video: SAGE III videofile 10/97 with 1 interview
Internet: oea.larc.nasa.gov
Interviews:
Mike Finneran
Office of Public Affairs
NASA Langley Research Center
Hampton, VA
757/864-6121
Advanced Ultrasound Technology
Internet: ic-www.arc.nasa.gov
group/super-res/
Interviews: Peter Cheeseman, PhD
Data Understanding Group
Computational Sciences Division
NASA Ames Research Center
Moffett Field, CA 94035
650/604-4946
Smart Robot Probe for Cancer Detection
Photos: Dr. Robert Mah and smart robot probe
AC-97-0063-7 & AC-97-0063-8
Drs. Robert Mah and Stefanie W. Jeffrey, discussing
development of smart probe for breast cancer
AC97-0350-2
Video: robot probe in brain surgery AAV1563 5/29/96
Internet: http://ic-
www.arc.nasa.gov/ic/projects/neuro/SMART_SYSTEM
Interviews: Robert W. Mah, PhD
NeuroEngineering Group
NASA Ames Research Center
Moffett Field, CA 94035
650/604-6044
Stefanie S. Jeffrey, MD
Chief of Breast Surgery
Assistant Professor
Div. of Surgical Oncology
Dept. of Surgery
Stanford University
School of Medicine
Palo Alto, CA 94305
650/723-4617
Russell J. Andrews, MD
Department of Neurosurgery
SUNY Health Science Center 650/723-4617
750 East Adams St.
Syracuse, NY 13210
315/464-4470
NASA Bioreactor and Cancer Cell Research
Photos: Astronaut working with Bioreactor
94-HC-288
Mary Ellen Weber works with Bioreactor
95-HC-497 color; 95-H-497 b&w
Interviews:
Dr. Neal Pellis
NASA Researcher
NASA Johnson Space Center
Houston, TX
281/483-2357
Jeanne L. Becker, PhD
Principal Investigator, Ground-Based Bioreactor Studies
Associate Professor
University of South Florida
Tampa, FL
813/254-7774
Elliot M. Levine, PhD
Professor, Wistar Institute
Philadelphia, PA
215/898-3884
Telemammography
Photos: ACTS Satellite
93-HC-527 color; 93-H-575 b&w
Video: Cleveland Clinic with 1 interview 10/97
Interviews:
Sally V. Harrington
Public Affairs Specialist
NASA Lewis Research Center
Cleveland, OH
216/433-2037
Samuel J. Dwyer III, MD
Department of Radiology
University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA
804/924-5976
Kimberly A. Powell, PhD
Assistant Staff Scientist
The Cleveland Clinic Foundation
Cleveland, OH
216/445-9364
William A. Chilcote, MD
Staff Radiologist
The Cleveland Clinic Foundation
Cleveland, OH
216/444-6413
Linda Dukes-Campbell
NASA Lewis Research Center
Public Affairs Office
Cleveland, OH
216/433-8920 |
