Mammography is currently the main tool for screening and detection of breast cancer. The sensitivity of mammography is high in symptomatic women but decreases in younger women, women with dense breasts, and for cases of lobular carcinoma. The rate of cancers missed by mammography in women with extremely dense breasts is 15 times higher than women with low dense breasts[1].

Digital mammography is a recent improvement in imaging technology that provides superior imaging quality, however this has not translated into significant improvements in sensitivity[2] and the inability to detect all cancers remains a significant factor in the high mortality rate for breast cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, approximately one third of breast cancer is detected as stage 2 or later. Earlier detection of cancer in these women would give the potential to offer tissue saving surgery, increased treatment options and greater chances of survival.

 

[1] Boyd et al. (2007) NEJM 356 (3): 227-236
[2] Pisano et al. (2005) NEJM 353: 1773-17873