New Imaging Center for Women at Bethlehem Campus

St. Luke’s University Health Network is expanding access to diagnostic breast imaging with the opening of a new Women’s Imaging Center at St. Luke’s Bethlehem Campus.

“This investment in advanced imaging technology is a reflection of St. Luke’s commitment to providing the very best individualized breast care for each patient based on their unique history and risk factors,” said St. Luke’s Michele Brands, Network Director of Women’s Imaging.

The new diagnostic services at Bethlehem include:

• Diagnostic mammography on GE HealthCare’s Senographe Pristina featuring superior diagnostic accuracy for 3D diagnostic breast tomosynthesis at the same low dose as a 2D full-field digital mammography, the lowest for all thicknesses among the major systems available in the marketplace[1] [2]
• Stereotactic and Ultrasound-guided biopsies
• Diagnostic Breast Ultrasound
• Screening mammograms

Nationally, wait times for screening and diagnostic mammograms have grown since Covid. The opening of the new center at the Bethlehem Campus will provide patients with an additional, centrally located diagnostic imaging option.

“St. Luke’s is committed to improving access to mammography and breast ultrasound services for women in the Lehigh Valley,” said Karl N. Yaeger, MD, Division Chief- Women’s Imaging. “By increasing diagnostic access for patients at the newly renovated Bethlehem campus, we can now expand access to the One Stop Breast Clinic services at the Regional Breast Center in Center Valley.”

In 2022, St. Luke’s became the first and only US health system to operate a One-Stop Clinic – serving as a national model for how to help accelerate breast cancer care through a multi-modality approach. The One-Stop Clinic for Breast model, which originated at the Gustave Roussy Cancer Center in France, has been shown to improve clinical workflow and speed up breast cancer diagnosis and treatment planning. St. Luke’s offers One-Stop Breast Clinic services at both Regional Breast Centers in Center Valley and Monroe County.

“St Luke’s pioneered a novel approach to integrated breast cancer care with One-Stop Clinic, helping to accelerate the time to diagnosis and treatment with the aim of saving patient lives. Expanding diagnostic services to Bethlehem is an exciting next step to improving access to care in the community,” said Pooja Pathak, VP and General Manager, Global Mammography at GE Healthcare. “We are pleased that GE HealthCare’s Senographe Pristina 3D mammography system is helping support St. Lukes’ commitment to ensuring patients receive the diagnostic services they need, when they need them.”

^[1] Phantom measurements as of July 2024. Senographe Pristina with default value STD mode.

Dose comparison based on NHS Breast Screening Program equipment reports. https://medphys.royalsurrey.nhs.uk/nccpm/?s=technicalreports.

² Superior diagnostic accuracy demonstrated in a reader study comparing the ROC AUC of GE screening protocol (V-Preview + 3D CC/MLO with 3D in STD mode) to that of 2D FFDM alone. FDA PMA P130020.