Driving Progress: Join others in Identifying Best Mammography Technology

Over the last 20 years, Devery Pierce has always been one to do her part. Throughout her adulthood, she’s donated platelets, plasma and red blood cells to help patients in need of these vital components. So, when she was asked to enroll in a clinical trial to help determine the most effective breast imaging technology to detect cancer, she immediately wanted to participate.

When Devery, who has never had cancer, recently went for her annual mammogram at the Breast & GYN Cancer Pavilion at Woman’s, she was informed about the Tomosynthesis Mammographic Imaging Screening Trial (TMIST). It’s a large, randomized trial comparing two FDA-approved types of digital mammography. She immediately wanted to be a part of a study that could help women in the future, while simply undergoing her annual mammogram, something that has been a part of her routine for many years. “I’ve always been diligent about my screenings because cancer runs in my family,” said Devery, a native of Central. “I’ve had several family members impacted by the disease and this was a very easy way to give back to the future of cancer care. I had a breast cancer scare after the birth of my first daughter and I was fortunate, but it could have easily gone another way.”How does TMIST Work? The trial compares: standard digital (2D) versus Tomosynthesis (3D) mammography to determine which method results in a long-term reduction of breast cancer mortality. The trial is being conducted at leading breast cancer screening sites across the United States and Canada and will include 165,000 participants.

“TMIST was something else I could do that wouldn’t require any extra time nor money, but would potentially help countless numbers of people,” said Devery.

How to enroll in TMIST For more information on TMIST or other national breast or gynecological clinical trials made available by Woman’s Hospital and Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center’s partnership, please visit www.breastandgyncancer.org or call (225) 215-1353. TMIST was co-developed by the ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group (www.ecog-acrin.org/tmist) and the National Cancer Institute (www.cancer.gov/tmist), part of the National Institutes of Health. ECOG-ACRIN is leading the trial.