Frost & Sullivan Recognizes Hologic's Excellent Technology Innovation in Cancer Care...

PALO ALTO, Calif. -- Frost & Sullivan acknowledges Hologic, Inc.'s exceptional ability to develop innovative technology such as its unique selenium-based full field digital breast tomosynthesis research system. This technology could revolutionize mammography with its superior detection techniques.

"Breast tomosynthesis is a 3-D imaging technology -- a specialized version of tomography X-ray -- that involves the acquisition of multiple images of a stationary, compressed breast from different angles during a short scan," says Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst Michael Valenti. "Unlike computed tomography (CT) that requires large scanners, tomosynthesis is much simpler to implement and requires only modest modifications to the existing mammography systems."

By using an amorphous selenium detector coating to directly convert x-rays to electronic signals without the need to first convert them to light, Hologic scores over screen-film and other digital mammography systems. Selenium-based digital detectors have the highest image sharpness and dose efficiency in the industry.

Breast tomosynthesis has the potential to alleviate the problem of unnecessary patient recalls by taking into account overlapping fibroglandular breast tissues, which can obscure small cancers or create shadows that appear to be lesions. Tomosynthesis-based imaging eliminates these sources of noise by studying thin slices without tissue overlap.

Although tomosynthesis is an excellent find for all three major applications of mammography -- screening, diagnostic, and intervention -- screening is expected to benefit the most. The potential for enhanced detection and specificity should increase radiologists' confidence in their diagnoses and avoid additional biopsies.

For its successful technology development in the area of women's health diagnostics for the cancer market, Frost & Sullivan presents Hologic, Inc. with the 2004 Technology Innovation Award. This award is presented each year to the company that has shown significant improvement in sales due to product innovation. The superior technological sophistication has set the company on a growth trajectory in the market.

"Although other manufacturers are working on developing tomosynthesis systems, the Hologic technology platform has significant advantages and already appears to be the technology leader in this space," notes Valenti. "Agfa and Siemens are employing these advanced detectors for their full field digital mammography systems and other companies are expected to follow suit."

About Hologic, Inc.

Hologic, Inc. is a leading developer, manufacturer and supplier of medical imaging systems dedicated to serving the healthcare needs of women, and a leading developer of state-of-the-art digital imaging technology for general radiography and mammography applications. Hologic's core business units are focused on osteoporosis assessment, mammography and breast biopsy, direct-to-digital X-ray for general radiography applications, and mini C-arm imaging for orthopedic applications. For further information contact http://www.hologic.com.

About Frost & Sullivan

Founded in 1961, Frost & Sullivan is recognized as a global leader in growth consulting. Frost & Sullivan Awards are presented to companies that demonstrate best practices in their industry, commending the diligence, commitment, and innovative business strategies required to advance in the global marketplace. Frost & Sullivan rigorously analyzes specific criteria to determine award recipients in a broad spectrum of market industries and landscapes. For further information, visit www.frost.com.