St. Bernardine Medical Center has received a $100K grant from Stater Bros. Charities and Inland Women Fighting Cancer to purchase state-of-the-art digital breast tomosynthesis technology.

Tomosynthesis is advanced 3D mammography that takes multiple three-dimensional images of the breasts in layers. This technology will greatly enhance St. Bernardine Medical Center’s diagnostic capabilities. Because 3D mammography provides images of the breast in “slices” from many different angles, finding abnormalities may be easier with 3D tests. These multiple images of breast tissue slices give doctors a clearer image of breast masses.

“We are sincerely grateful to Stater Bros. Charities and Inland Women Fighting Cancer for their generous gift. Adding 3D mammography to our list of available services offered to the San Bernardino community will greatly enhance our commitment to patient-centered clinical excellence and community wellness,” states St. Bernardine Medical Center President, Douglas Kleam. “3D mammography is an innovative technique for breast cancer screening that has the ability to identify abnormalities that cannot be seen or felt by a physician, so it makes it easier to detect breast cancer.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, breast cancer will strike one in eight women in their lifetime and is the most common cancer in U.S. women, next to skin cancer. Research shows that getting mammograms regularly can lower your risk of dying from breast cancer.