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KANSAS CITY, Kan. — This year’s Treads and Threads fundraiser at the Kansas Speedway is just weeks away.

The event benefits the KU Health System’s state of the art cancer center. Doctors there say this is extremely important for the one in eight women diagnosed with breast cancer each year.

The event is speeding into its 17th year, hoping to draw 4,000 attendees and raise $1.8 million this year. The hospital gave FOX4 an inside look at its new technology that patients are saying could have been vital in their diagnosis and treatment.

It’s a new MRI technique that allows doctors to use imaging technology to identify cancer early for women who have dense breast tissue. The density can cause late or no detection for women going in for a regular screening.

The hospital hopes this new way of screening, called an Abbreviated MRI, can help women with dense tissue have earlier detection.

“The funds that have gone to support all the previous advancements is what continues to elevate having the MRI machines with the breast coil that is specific to be able to do this allowed us to be able to participate in that clinical trial that is now allowing us to develop this new technology,” surgeon Jamie Wagner said.

This means the world to cancer survivors like Beth Pitts and Angelique Nedved. Both women had late cancer detection due to breast density.

“I think what’s important is for women to find out about that kind of tissue, and if that is the composition of their body, to be aware of that,” Nedved said.

“Personally, that would have saved me months of treatment that I might not have to have, or time off work that I wouldn’t have to take if my disease was caught at an earlier stage,” Pitts said.

Pitts is fighting her cancer through radiation treatments with the hospital, and Nedved is celebrating 18 months cancer-free. Both women said knowing people are giving their time and money to push the cancer center forward is humbling.

“It is incredibly humbling to know that there are people out there willing to donate their finite resources to help save lives. How do you thank organizations and individuals for saving your life?” Nedved said.

Tickets are still available for the Sept. 7 event. FOX4’s John Holt will be the emcee for the evening. If you want to purchase tickets, click or tap here.