FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 28, 1997
CONTACT:
Rob Whitehouse, 216/444-8927
NASA, CLEVELAND CLINIC STUDY USING SATELLITES TO PROVIDE MAMMOGRAPHIC SERVICES TO WOMEN IN REMOTE AREAS
NASA and the Cleveland Clinic are studying the use of satellites and high-speed digital transmissions to provide mammograms to women in regions of the United States where physicians who specialize in diagnosing breast cancer are scarce.
"One of NASA's goals is to ensure that the coming generation of satellites will be able to provide high-quality, low-cost telemedicine to the millions of patients in remote areas," said Robert Kerczewski, NASA Satellite Telemammography Project Manager. "In this study, we are developing and testing imaging and communications technologies which will help meet this goal."
NASA Lewis Research Center in Cleveland, OH, has been performing pioneering research into satellite telemedicine, especially through the use of its experimental Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS), which is the satellite being used for this study.
"Women have a much better chance of surviving breast cancer if it can be detected early, and mammograms play a significant role in early detection," said William A. Chilcote, M.D., of the Cleveland Clinic Breast Center. "Therefore, women living in areas where qualified imaging specialists are less available incur a greater risk."
Currently, researchers at the Cleveland Clinic and the University of Virginia are comparing mammograms that are digitally transmitted via NASA satellites to the standard X-ray mammogram films. In all, they'll examine 100 cases -- 50 showing malignancy and 50 nonmalignant. This section of the study will be "blinded," meaning the mammographic readers will not know the true diagnosis prior to seeing the scans.
The second phase of the study will involve performing "real-time" satellite-transmitted mammograms on a selected number of patients. Real-time transmissions will allow women at remote sites to receive an immediate diagnosis instead of waiting days for results. That way, any recommended follow-up tests can be performed immediately and, therefore, would not require a second visit to the doctor. (The first test subjects, however, won't be too remote; they'll undergo mammograms in one of the Cleveland Clinic's suburban family health centers and a mammographic reader at the Clinic's main campus will review the satellite-transmitted images.)
Because mammograms are more complex and require greater detail than most types of scans, digitizing the information for clear and quick transmission is the major obstacle researchers hope to overcome through the use of satellites. Sending a mammogram via telephone lines -- which are used in traditional telemedicine -- could take several hours.
"In order to be of any benefit to women, these digitally transmitted scans must be as accurate and dependable as the standard mammogram film," said Kim Powell, Ph.D., of the Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute. "Beyond that, we must ensure that the speed of the transmission is adequate, the cost is reasonable and the satellites are accessible. This study should begin to answer a lot of those questions."
The Cleveland Clinic is a leader in telemedicine. While initial applications have focused primarily on teleradiology, telemedicine also holds great promise for other medical specialties such as cardiology, dermatology, and pathology. This same technology also is being utilized to support improved physician access to medical education programming.
"Telemedicine is very convenient for the patients. They don't have to travel far from home, and they don't have to make multiple visits to the separate doctors. Ultimately, telemammography may encourage more women to take advantage of mammographic screening programs," said Dr. Chilcote.
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