Skip to content. | Skip to navigation

Sections

Division of Breast Imaging

 

Division of Breast Imaging

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer (excluding non-melanoma skin cancer) and the leading cause of cancer death among women in the U.S. One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer at some point in their lives. The good news is that the five-year relative survival rate is 98% if the cancer is detected at its earliest stage, when it’s most curable. Early detection is critical to successful treatment and survival.

An untiring dedication and commitment to women’s breast health—this is what women and their families in Virginia can expect when they seek out breast care services at the University of Virginia’s Division of Breast Imaging. Our dedicated team of physicians, nurses, and technologists provide patients with a comprehensive, high quality, and individually tailored evaluation for early detection and diagnosis of breast disease. Our Breast Care Center is the only facility in Virginia combining surgery and breast imaging. And unlike many other breast care providers, our physicians work exclusively with breast imaging—rendering a quality of care unmatched in the area.

The Division is fully equipped with the latest technology, offering the full range of breast cancer screening procedures and services: clinical consultation, screening and diagnostic mammography, breast ultrasound, breast MRI, galactography, and image-guided interventional procedures. Core biopsies are performed under ultrasound, stereotactic, and MRI guidance. Digital mammography services are also available.  We perform approximately 17,000 mammograms, 2,500 breast ultrasounds, and 800 interventional breast procedures per year at three locations. Coordinated through the Emily Couric Cancer Center (a National Cancer Institute Designated Cancer Center), the University of Virginia also has a mobile mammography van that can perform screening mammograms at worksites and outlying community locations.

New Breast Cancer Screening Study

The division recently received a $5.5 million grant to develop an innovative new breast cancer screening model (incorporating “breast density” into the risk factor calculation). In the next five to six years, this advanced new model is expected to become the national standard in breast cancer screening.

Community: Women's Four Miler

For 20 years, the Charlottesville Women’s Four Miler charity has donated its race proceeds to the UVA Breast Care Program. Thanks in part to this support, the UVA Cancer Center's High Risk Breast and Ovarian Cancer Program offers women, ages 18-70, a comprehensive program to assess risk and create a care plan specific to each woman's risk level. The Women’s Four Miler takes place yearly every fall (typically in September). More >

Education: Fellowship Program

For those interested in advanced training, the University of Virginia Department of Radiology and Medical Imaging offers qualified physicians a one-year non-tenured breast imaging instructorship. Candidates must have an MD or equivalent and successfully completed a residency in diagnostic radiology at an ACGME accredited institution. More >