Fujifilm Bus Hits the Road to Offer Breast Cancer Screenings and Promote Early Diagnosis

Fujifilm Medical Systems USA has launched a nationwide effort to enhance access to breast cancer screening and raise awareness about the importance of early disease detection.

Called “Aspire to Be Fearless,” the 18-month, 48-state campaign features a mobile mammography bus that will travel around the country to educate local communities and offer mammograms. The screenings will target underserved populations and patients who, largely out of fear of a cancer diagnosis, have been reluctant to get screened.

A provider of diagnostic imaging products and medical informatics solutions, Fujifilm is partnering in this effort with women’s imaging providers throughout the country to offer services and information about the importance of early detection.

“Breast cancer is one of the most feared cancers among women, and some women may feel so apprehensive that they put off their breast exams,” Susan Crennan, women’s health product marketing manager at Fujifilm, said in a news release. “Through outreach and collaboration with women’s health leaders, we are hoping to empower women to be fearless in their approach to their breast health.”

The company will initially host a nationwide series of community educational events, and then start offering screening services in the fall. To kick off the campaign, Fujifilm recently supported an educational event in Portland, Oregon, which featured experts in breast care, nutrition, and health. Each speaker provided information aimed at promoting early breast cancer detection and allaying screening fears.

The “Aspire to Be Fearless” vehicle will be equipped with a waiting room, dressing room, mammography diagnostic workstation, and Fujifilm’s ASPIRE Cristalle digital mammography system, which was introduced in 2014.

Based on breast tissue density, the system uses hexagonal close pattern image capture technology and intelligent image processing to produce images less painfully and at low radiation doses for every breast type, including implants. The company this spring announced new system features involving radiology viewing, image reconstruction, and advanced compression.

One in eight women will at some point be diagnosed with breast cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute. Partly due to barriers in screening, African-American women are most likely to be diagnosed with later stages of breast cancer, resulting in poorer survival outcomes.

Those whose cancer is localized — hasn’t spread beyond the breast — are about 99% likely to live for at least five years after initial diagnosis. Therefore, early diagnosis and treatment is the most important strategy to prevent deaths from breast cancer, says the American Cancer Society.