These technological upgrades will increase our ability to detect signs of cancer earlier, improving patient prognosis, and serve more patients each year.
Joseph L. Perras, MDCheshire Medical Center, a Dartmouth Health member, has acquired a second three-dimensional mammography system by Hologic, and upgraded its existing mammography machine with the latest 3D high-resolution detector technology and imaging software, augmented by artificial intelligence, replacing two-dimensional computer-aided detection software. The new device, which was deployed in Cheshire’s Breast Care Center on March 20, enhances the hospital’s ability to detect breast cancer early, reduces false positives, improves patient experience, provides a critical redundancy for more streamlined scheduling and enables the Breast Care Center to significantly increase the number of mammograms it can perform annually, expanding patient access.
“Cheshire is committed to ensuring everyone in the rural Monadnock region has access to routine breast cancer screenings. These technological upgrades will increase our ability to detect signs of cancer earlier, improving patient prognosis, and serve more patients each year,” said Cheshire CEO and president Joseph L. Perras, MD. “I would like to thank the Cheshire Health Foundation, generous donors and the volunteers who worked hard to fundraise for this critical equipment. This new mammography system and the excellent care provided in Cheshire’s Breast Care Center enables world class care close to home.”
Three-dimensional mammography produces sharper images with finer details, such as subtle lesions and fine calcifications, detects 20% to 65% more invasive breast cancer compared to 2D imaging technology and reduces the need for recall appointments by approximately 40%.
“The earlier we are able to detect signs of cancer, the more treatment options are available for patients,” said Cheshire Mammography/Breast Care Coordinator Supervisor Meloney A. Hayward, RT(R), (M)ARRT. “Having access to this advanced 3D breast imaging systems is a significant benefit for our community. Not only are we able to have fewer false positives, we are able to detect cancers much earlier with better outcomes.”
Cheshire’s Breast Care Center currently performs approximately 8,000 mammogram exams annually. The addition of a new 3D mammography system will allow the center to perform more than 2,000 additional exams, meeting the current and growing healthcare needs of the community.
The new device and upgrades to the existing machine were paid for with the support of Cheshire Health Foundation’s significant fundraising efforts, which raised more than $788,000 through the generosity of over 1,000 community members, employees, businesses and foundations in 2023.
The Breast Care Center is an American College of Radiology (ACR) accredited facility, as well as a Designated Comprehensive Breast Imaging Center through the ACR and a Surgical Quality Partner of the American College of Surgeons (ACS). It is also accredited through the National Accreditation for Breast Cancers (NAPBC), American College of Surgeons and is a certified mammography facility under the U.S. Mammography Quality and Standards Act (MQSA).
About Cheshire Medical Center
Cheshire Medical Center (Cheshire) advances the health and wellness of individuals across New Hampshire’s Monadnock Region through outstanding care and exceptional service. Cheshire teams deliver an impressive range of clinical services that support the community's needs. As a member of Dartmouth Health, Cheshire is able to provide services far exceeding those of a typical rural hospital, including extensive programs in primary care, cancer care, cardiology, orthopaedics, and public health. Cheshire patients are also able to access hundreds of highly trained specialists and a depth of clinical and technical resources through its collaboration with Dartmouth Health. Cheshire’s clinical practice is distinguished by an exceptional staff, a strong commitment to safety and quality, and a culture that values the contribution of every staff member and volunteer. Cheshire is the area's largest healthcare provider and leading employer. Along with the services delivered on their Keene campus and satellite locations, the Medical Center partners with local organizations to provide vital services and programs throughout the region. To learn more, call 603-354-5400 or visit cheshiremed.org.
About Dartmouth Health
Dartmouth Health, New Hampshire’s only academic health system and largest private employer, serves patients across New England. Dartmouth Health provides access to more than 2,300 providers in nearly every area of medicine, delivering care at its flagship hospital, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) in Lebanon, NH. Its network of hospitals, outpatient centers, clinics and home care facilities, spans a broad geographical area. Year after year, DHMC is named the #1 hospital in New Hampshire by U.S. News & World Report, and is consistently recognized for high performance in numerous clinical specialties and procedures. Dartmouth Health includes Dartmouth Cancer Center, northern New England’s only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers and one of less than than 60 total nationally; Dartmouth Health Children’s, which includes the state’s only children’s hospital (Children’s Hospital at DHMC/CHaD) and more than 20 locations around the region; eight member hospitals in Lebanon, Keene, Claremont, Hampstead, and New London, NH, and Windsor and Bennington, VT; Dartmouth Health Home Care; Dartmouth Health Connected Care Center for Telehealth, serving patients as far away as Texas; and more than 30 primary and multi-specialty clinics across New Hampshire and Vermont. Through its partnership with Dartmouth College, Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine and the White River Junction VA Medical Center, Dartmouth Health trains nearly 400 medical residents and fellows annually and performs cutting-edge research and clinical trials with international impact. Dartmouth Health and its more than 16,000 employees are committed to serving the healthcare needs of everyone in the communities it serves and to providing every patient with exceptional, state-of-the-art, personalized care. Learn more at dartmouth-health.org.