For Immediate Release

August 31, 2004

Prominent Chinese Entrepreneur Visits Mercy Women’s Center

Oklahoma City— Because Mercy Women’s Center is one of the busiest breast-dedicated magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sites in the country, a 41-year-old female entrepreneur from China will visit Mercy tomorrow.

“This is the first time I’ve ever been to Oklahoma, and I am making the trip to meet with Dr. Rebecca Stough, a radiologist at Mercy,” said Jenny Bi, who today owns several medical technology and biotech companies in China. “Dr. Stough has breast MRI experience equivalent to most of the top experts in the country, and I want to learn about breast MRI so I can bring breakthrough technology back to China.”

In January 2002, Dr. Stough, director of imaging at Mercy Women’s Center, launched the first comprehensive breast MRI program in Oklahoma. Since then, Dr. Stough has reviewed almost 2,000 images of patients with diagnostic problems or newly discovered breast cancers.

“Although breast MRI is the most sensitive imaging tool available for detection of breast cancer, this new technology is not self-interpreting,” said Dr. Alan Hollingsworth, medical director of Breast MRI of Oklahoma and Mercy Women’s Center. “It’s extremely important to have a dedicated radiologist such as Dr. Stough with experience in both MRI and mammography since MRI is a much greater challenge than other types of breast imaging.”

With Aurora Imaging Technology—Mercy’s unit was the ninth in the nation to be placed—hundreds of images are taken of the breast without any radiation exposure, allowing a radiologist to “travel” by computer through the tissue in order to identify and biopsy breast abnormalities. Now with RODEO™ software, the MRI sensitivity for the detection of cancer far surpasses all other methods.

“It’s amazing to discover a tiny, subtle abnormality on a mammogram and then perform a breast MRI and discover far more extensive cancer than you expected or can see on the mammogram or ultrasound,” said Dr. Stough. “And now this technology is becoming available in countries outside the U.S.”

Just recently, Taiwan passed a law that allows breast MRI for screening high-risk women beginning at age 30, and asymptomatic women every two years beginning at age 40. Currently in the U.S., high-risk screening is rarely covered by insurance, even though the American Cancer Society has added MRI to its recommended guidelines for high-risk women. Asia is experiencing a high incidence of breast cancer, oftentimes showing up in Asian women 10 years earlier than western women. In September, Taiwan will be the first country outside the U.S. to receive an Aurora breast-dedicated MRI unit.

Bi, who grew up in a province some 1,000 miles from Beijing but now lives in the capital city, sees breast MRI as imperative to China’s future. Originally trained as a registered nurse, Bi went on to make a fortune in real estate. Today, her technology companies sell their products to major hospitals throughout China.

“We must improve our healthcare in China,” said Bi. “And we must find the latest technology to do so.”

Mercy Health Center is a member of Mercy Health System of Oklahoma and the Sisters of Mercy Health System-St. Louis.

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