GE Healthcare and DILON Diagnostics announced an agreement last week for DILON to be the exclusive distributor of GE's Discovery NM750b Molecular Breast Imaging system in North America.

The Discovery NM750b detects breast cancer in patients who can't undergo MR exams or are at high risk due to dense breast tissue. MBI doesn't produce X-ray radiation and requires about 30 percent less tissue compression than standard mammography, according to GE.

A Mayo Clinic study from June 2015 found that using MBI as an adjunct to mammography results in an almost four-fold increase in invasive cancer detection in women with dense breasts. That spurred Mayo Clinic's Rochester, Minnesota location to make supplemental imaging with MBI the standard of care for women with dense breasts.

GE and DILON signed a similar agreement last year for DILON to distribute the Discovery NM750b in select global markets.

"We are very pleased to continue collaborating with GE Healthcare, a world leader in innovation, in the fight against breast cancer," Robert G. Moussa, chairman and CEO of DILON, said in a statement. "The relationship with GE Healthcare will enable us to offer a complete spectrum of BSGI/MBI solutions through our established sales channels in breast cancer diagnostics and surgery."

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