WESTERLY – The Westerly Hospital recently began using computer-aided detection (CAD) technology for breast MRI, an intensive screening technology that can detect breast cancer at its earliest stages for women with a higher risk of developing breast cancer.

The CAD technology can be used on women with a strong family history of the disease or with a genetic mutation that predisposes them to breast cancer. It can also help women newly diagnosed with breast cancer and help doctors evaluate a patient’s response to chemotherapy or hormonal therapy, and any need for surgery.

“The CAD system helps our radiologists quickly and efficiently collect the hundreds of images from a women’s breast MRI, and then analyzes them in a way that assists the radiologist in detecting any malformations or masses in the breast,” said Dale Porter, director of diagnostic imaging at the hospital.