Detect Early Diseases

Medical imaging detects critical illnesses at their most curable stage – and, in many cases, when they are least costly to treat. Medical imaging is center-stage in America's efforts at prevention and early detection.

CT scans can detect 80 percent of lung cancer at its initial, and most treatable stage. The result: a much greater chance that lives will be saved.

Mammography identifies breast cancer one to three years before a lump can be felt, thereby saving lives. Early detection reduces the risk of death in women 50 to 69 years of age by 30 percent; in women in their 40s, the risk can drop by 17 percent.

• The Lancet reports that earlier diagnosis through mammography is a factor in the dramatic improvement in the 15-year survival rate during the 1990s among breast cancer patients in the US and Europe.

Virtual colonoscopy using 3-D imaging identifies colorectal cancer when it is still highly treatable – and it's faster and more comfortable than traditional exams.

Molecular imaging holds the promise of identifying disease at the earliest possible time, even before symptoms are apparent.