In 2019, Dr. Love was referred to QT Imaging by an NIH Grant Program Officer who was familiar with their technology. It was a great match. Dr. Love’s passion for studying the anatomy, biochemistry, and genetics of women’s breast ducts was limited by the difficulty characterizing their micro-anatomy, and the QT technology offered a new way to look at the breast.
The research collaboration between QT and the Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation began with a pilot study that used the technique to provide images of the ductal anatomy and physiology of nursing mothers before and after nursing. The findings from the study illustrated the potential the QT technology could bring to Dr. Love’s research program, and, before long, The Dr Susan Love Research Foundation provided a grant for QT Ultrasound to study ductal anatomy in women during hormone-driven physiological changes.
The resulting research provided data and insight that helped QT to obtain FDA clearance for its QTscan™ to measure glandular and ductal changes in women during chemotherapy and hormonal manipulations (such as in a breast cancer prevention program). The FDA granted this clearance on August 31, 2022. Unlike traditional breast imaging modalities, the QTscan™ does not use radiation, injections, or compression, allowing earlier and more frequent monitoring for women undergoing breast cancer treatment and prevention. It is the first breast imaging modality cleared by the FDA to quantify fibroglandular tissue volume.
Women with non-surgical breast cancer treatments such as adjuvant chemotherapy, radiation therapy, cryotherapy, and hormone or selective hormone receptor modulation treatments can now be monitored with the QTscan. This is important because not all women respond in the same way to these treatments, and frequent monitoring helps to confirm the effectiveness of a given treatment.
The ability to determine a therapeutic clinical response using a quantitative volumetric method is crucial for the effective and timely treatment of breast cancer and for patients at high risk for developing breast cancer who are receiving hormonal therapy. The FGV tool will allow this assessment to be made early and in follow-up to maximize treatment benefit, which is an exciting development for breast cancer patients.
The Foundation, again, is a leading light in support of breakthrough science of breast cancer research.
