The battle of COVID-19 and Cancer

What a shocking surprise to learn that a global pandemic could arrive with such turbulent upheaval around the globe, and yet create a subtle but life-threatening impact in one's backyard. 

People that have been diagnosed with cancer and those who are at high risk due to family history are required to monitor the disease via regular diagnostic scanning as prescribed by their medical care team. For breast cancer, the equipment of choice is a Mammography machine. Mammography (also called mastography) is the process of using low-energy X-rays (usually around 30 kVp) to examine the human breast for screening and diagnosis. The goal of mammography is the early detection of breast cancer, typically through the detection of characteristic masses or microcalcifications.

Around the world, the pandemic had caused a significant amount of people to put off their previously scheduled screening, since it may be considered non-emergency treatment, in fear of contracting a potentially deadlier virus. In  Midwest USA, a lady had to put off her mammography scan for the same reason. By the time she was able to finally get in for her scan, cancer had appeared and advanced significantly beyond the treatment stage. Who would have thought that this lady along with other women, with similar medical situations, would be a casualty of such a callous virus?

Concurrently, in a mid-size town in North Carolina, similar anxieties were brewing in the medical community. The women in this community were experiencing a wait time of over 180 days to access this modality. It became a life-and-death situation. To alleviate this high-level stressor, the Cleveland Center for Advanced Imaging embarked on an ambitious goal to design, construct, and install a new Mammography Suite. The turnkey project was executed with a fast-track delivery process to reduce the total schedule by over 50% and now the wait time has been significantly reduced from 180+ days to a tolerable 5 days. 

"It is so beautiful when we can collaborate for the benefit of all!"