title: What effect does mammographic breast density have on lesion detection in digital mammography?
abstract: Effective detection of breast cancer using mammography is an important public health issue worldwide. Breasts that contain higher levels of fibroglandular compared with fatty tissue increase breast radio-opacity making it more difficult to differentiate between normal and abnormal findings. The higher prevalence of breast cancer amongst women with denser breasts demands the origination of effective solutions to manage this common radiographic appearance. This brief review considers the impact of higher levels of density on cancer detection and the importance of digital technology in possibly reducing the negative effects of increased density.
authors.affiliation: Medical Image Optimisation and Perception Group (MIOPeG), Discipline of Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Sydney, Lidcombe, NSW, Australia. Electronic address: dalm3874@uni.sydney.edu.au.
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: A L Mousa
authors.affiliation: Medical Image Optimisation and Perception Group (MIOPeG), Discipline of Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Sydney, Lidcombe, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Ryan
authors.affiliation: Medical Image Optimisation and Perception Group (MIOPeG), Discipline of Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Sydney, Lidcombe, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mello-Thoms
authors.affiliation: Medical Image Optimisation and Perception Group (MIOPeG), Discipline of Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Sydney, Lidcombe, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: P C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Brennan
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D001940:Breast / Q000473:pathology*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology*; D055088:Early Detection of Cancer; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008327:Mammography; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods; D010363:Pattern Recognition, Automated; D015995:Prevalence; D011634:Public Health; D011856:Radiographic Image Enhancement; D011857:Radiographic Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity