Background/Introduction
X-ray mammography is the primary tool for screening the female population for breast cancer. Since the vast majority of participants are completely healthy,
the ALARA principal,
"As Low As Reasonably Achievable",
is of paramount importance. Glandular tissue in the breast is sensitive to radiation,
to the extent that Yaffe and Mainprize report [1] “for a cohort of 100,000 women,
each receiving a dose of 3.7 mGy to both breasts and who were screened annually from age 40 to 55 years and biennially thereafter to age...
Description of activity and work performed
In order to minimise mammographic dose we have developed a multi-faceted strategy utilising big data methodologies. Specifically this comprises of:
A women specific measure of mammographic dose taking into consideration the glandular composition of the breast.
A big data analytics engine which computes the dose with a consistent methodology for each and every women imaged throughout an entire screening programme,
and facilitates the detailed comparison of the dose characteristics across all x-ray gantries as functions of both compressed breast thickness,
and breast density.
The first...
Conclusion and Recommendations
In order to minimise dose as much as is reasonable achievable,
accurate measurements of the actual dose delivered to the glandular tissue of the individual women’s breast are required rather than phantom measurements as have been used historically. Computing and presenting the dose for every women imaged within a screening programme using a big data analytics engine allows optimisation to evolve beyond the absolute thresholds adopted in diagnostic reference levels. It facilities relative comparison across the programme,
and allows the use of outlier analysis as...
Personal/Organisational information
Volpara Solutions Ltd,
Level 6,
86 Victoria Street,
Wellington,
New Zealand.
http://www.volparasolutions.com
[email protected]
References
[1] Yaffe M.
J.
and Mainprize J.
(2011),
Risk of radiation-induced breast cancer from mammographic screening.
Radiology: 258:98-105.
[2] Yaffe,
M.
J.,
J.
M.
Boone,
et al.
(2009).
"The myth of the 50-50 breast." Med Phys 36(12): 5437-5443.
[3] Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine,
IPEM Report 88 (2004): Guidance on the Establishment and Use of Diagnostic Reference Levels for Medical X-Ray Examinations,
York,
UK.
[4] D.
R.
Dance,
C.
L.
Skinner,
K.
C.
Young,
J.
R.
Beckett,
and C.
J.
Kotre,
“Additional factors...
