The UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute is participating in the National Cancer Institute's TMIST (Tomosynthesis Mammographic Imaging Screening Trial).

The study compares two standard breast cancer screening methods: tomosynthesis (3D) mammograms and digital (2D) mammograms, and is designed to help researchers determine whether one method is better than the other at finding life-threatening breast cancers.

The study involves 100 clinics and includes 165,000 women in the United States and Canada. The UAMS Breast Center has enrolled 290 participants to date and is able to include even more women.

"By participating in this research study, you can help determine the most effective type of mammogram and how often women should receive screening," said Gwendolyn Bryant-Smith, MD, chief of breast imaging at UAMS and local principal investigator for the trial.

In a briefing held Oct. 7, NCI leaders stated, "We need women to take part to make sure breast cancer screening of the future is appropriate for all women. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a time to share the importance of screening mammograms and early detection."

The UAMS TMIST study coordinator is available at (501) 400-3195 or TMISTstudy@uams.edu for anyone wanting to learn more about the study.

Women ages 45 to 74 who plan to get a routine screening mammogram at the UAMS Breast Center are eligible for this trial. Participants are randomly assigned to get either a 3D or 2D mammogram every one or two years for the first five years of the study. Researchers will follow each woman's breast cancer status for a total of eight years by reviewing medical records and possibly conducting phone interviews.

TMIST was developed by the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group and the American College of Radiology Imaging Network (ECOG-ACRIN) Cancer Research Group and the National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health. ECOG-ACRIN leads the trial.