BREAST DENSITY FACTS
- Breast Density is one of the strongest predictors of the failure of a Mammogram to detect cancer
- Dense Breast tissue can obscure cancerous lesions on a Mammogram
- Women with extremely Dense Breasts have a 4 to 6 fold increased risk of developing Breast Cancer compared to those with fatty breasts.
- Breast density is considered to be one of the strongest risk factors associated with breast cancer.
- Approximately 40% of women have Dense Breast Tissue
- These women are at greater risk of developing Breast Cancer but encounter a lower rate of detection due to the low Sensitivity of Mammography in this group
- MBI overcomes this problem as its High Sensitivity is independent of Dense Breast Tissue leading to earlier diagnosis in these women
Dual-CZT detector MBI demonstrates a marked improvement in sensitivity when compared with single-head MBI and scintimammography for small tumours.
MEASURING BREAST DENSITY
Breast Density is quantified into four categories of increasing Density.
With increasing Density, there is a decreasing level of Sensitivity with Mammography, as seen below.
The role of MBI has been directed to imaging Dense Breast Tissue (Heterogeneous and Extremely Dense Breasts).
MBI has proven to be highly Sensitive at detecting Cancers in this group of women.
BREAST DENSITY
Survival is considerably improved for women diagnosed with smaller tumours than those with larger tumours.
Dual CZT detectors ensure visualisation of small lesions compared with other systems.
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The Role of MBI in Dense Breasts
The role of MBI has been directed to imaging dense breast tissue--categories 3 and 4 (Heterogeneous and Extremely dense breasts). Mammograms in dense breasts have limited sensitivity. MBI has proven to be highly sensitive at detecting cancers in this group of women.
MBI technology overcomes the limitations of mammography in dense breast tissue, allowing for early detection of small tumours before they become palpable.