GE Medical Systems and CADx Systems Inc, announced an agreement to distribute two new computer-aided detection (CAD) technologies, Second Look Digital and Second Look(R) AD, to help physicians better detect breast cancer. The Second Look products are designed to be integrated with the GE Senographe 2000D full-field digital mammography system.

CAD is used by an increasing number of radiologists as "a second pair of eyes" when reading a woman's mammogram. The Second Look products utilize innovative proprietary software technology to highlight potential areas of concern, calling attention to subtle changes in tissue that may indicate the presence of cancer in the breast. After viewing a patient's mammogram, the radiologist refers to the CAD results to assist with his or her final decision regarding the most appropriate course of treatment.

"GE is committed to providing healthcare professionals and patients with the latest innovations in women's healthcare," said Srini Seshadri, General Manager of X-ray, GE Medical Systems. "Our agreement with CADx will allow Senographe 2000D users access to more advanced technology for early breast cancer detection."

Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women in the United States and worldwide. It is estimated that breast cancer will be newly diagnosed every three minutes, and a woman will die from breast cancer every 13 minutes in the United States. One out of nine women will develop breast cancer in her lifetime.

CADx's Second Look AD system, pending approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, has both analog and digital capabilities to provide greater flexibility for physicians when reviewing a patient's mammogram. Physicians will have the ability to run both film-based and digital images simultaneously through the same CAD system. The combination unit will give physicians an easy transition path from film-based systems to full-field digital systems. CADx's Second Look AD will be compatible for use with the GE Senographe 2000D and available for distribution from a GE Medical Systems representative or CADx.

In addition to the Second Look analog-digital combination system, CADx's Continuum product line includes an analog dedicated system, Second Look; and a dedicated digital system, the Second Look Digital. Second Look Digital CAD was developed specifically to process GE's Senographe 2000D digital mammography images. The Second Look Digital CAD system adds flexibility to the Senographe 2000D by giving radiologists the ability to connect to multiple workstations and review stations for reading mammograms. Second Look Digital CAD is pending approval from the FDA.