Breast dose variability in a bi-racial population undergoing screening mammography.
This study evaluated individual and population dose variability during screening mammography, among 570 white and black women in South Carolina, USA. Aspects of dosimetry that were considered include compressed breast thickness (CBT), number of films per screening session, and dose in previous or subsequent sessions. Breast dose was log-normally distributed in the population, with a geometric mean of 6.6 mGy per session. Doses were significantly higher for black women, for women with high CBT or who receive more than two views per breast, and for the mediolateral oblique, compared to the craniocaudal, view. No relationship was observed between age and dose. Total dose per breast varied by a factor of 20 across the study population, but the individual's dose varied little among repeat screening sessions, especially after adjusting for the number of films received per session. These results may inform assessments of the projected risks of inducing breast cancer from screening mammography.
Department of Biometry and Epidemiology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston 29425, USA. zcg3@cdc.gov
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Schubauer-Berigan
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Baron
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Frey
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Hoel
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D044383:Black People; D001940:Breast / Q000473:pathology* / Q000528:radiation effects*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008327:Mammography / Q000379:methods*; D008403:Mass Screening; D008875:Middle Aged; D011874:Radiometry / Q000379:methods*; D012016:Reference Values; D044465:White People