Determination of breast tissue composition for improved accuracy in estimating radiation doses and risks in mammographic screening

Bryant, Richard J.; Underwood, Adam; Robinson, Angelica S; Stephenson, T.J.; Underwood, J. C. E.

doi:10.1016/s0960-9776(98)90064-9

Cited by 3 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…At present, MGD is agreed to be the best indicator of radiation risk from mammography as it is considered represent the dose to radiation sensitive breast tissue (IPSM 1994). A recent study on breast composition was conducted through the analysis of 67 breast tissue samples obtained from 40 women (Bryant et al 1998). The authors have suggested that luminal epithelium may be the only radiosensitive tissue contained within the female breast and have found that this type of tissue constitutes a very small percentage of total breast volume (<1% at screening age).…”

Section: Breast Composition and The Menopausementioning

confidence: 99%

Dosimetric implications of age related glandular changes in screening mammography

Beckett

Kotre

2000

Phys. Med. Biol.

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The UK National Health Service Breast Screening Programme is currently organized to routinely screen women between the ages of 50 and 64, with screening for older women available on request. The lower end of this age range closely matches the median age for the menopause (51 years), during which significant changes in the composition of the breast are known to occur. In order to quantify the dosimetric effect of these changes, radiographic factors and compressed breast thickness data for a cohort of 1258 women aged between 35 and 79 undergoing breast screening mammography have been used to derive estimates of breast glandularity and mean glandular dose (MGD), and examine their variation with age. The variation of mean radiographic exposure factors with age is also investigated. The presence of a significant number of age trial women within the cohort allowed an extended age range to be studied. Estimates of MGD including corrections for breast glandularity based on compressed breast thickness only, compressed breast thickness and age and for each individual woman are compared with the MGD based on the conventional assumption of a 50:50 adipose/glandular composition. It has been found that the use of the conventional 50:50 assumption leads to overestimates of MGD of up to 13% over the age range considered. By using compressed breast thickness to estimate breast glandularity, this error range can be reduced to 8%, whilst age and compressed breast thickness based glandularity estimates result in an error range of 1%.

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Section: Breast Composition and The Menopausementioning

confidence: 99%

Dosimetric implications of age related glandular changes in screening mammography

Beckett

Kotre

2000

Phys. Med. Biol.

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“…17 Underneath the skin, the female breast comprises 50% glandular tissue and 50% adipose tissue by weight. 27 Cerussi et al 28 reported the breast consisted of lipid fraction, 26% -90%. Figure 3 represents the absorption spectrum of pork fat, 29 which is considered to be very similar to that of human lipids.…”

Section: Lipidsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Optical Properties of Tissue in Near-infrared Region for NIRS-based Medical Imaging

Saikia¹

2022

Preprint

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The optical properties and physiology of biological tissue, as well as how near-infrared (NIR) light interacts with the tissue, both play a significant role in interpreting the tissue probing optical measurements, and in solving the inverse problem of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS)-based medical imaging modalities such as diffuse optical tomography and functional near-infrared spectroscopy. This paper discusses the optical properties of tissue, specifically in the NIR wavelength range, which influence NIRS measurements in NIRS-based medical imaging. There is an easy-to-understand explanation given in this paper of the NIR light-tissue interaction phenomenon. The mathematical explanation, the processes involved in the interaction, and the rationale for a few approximations are described. Various types of chromophores present in the tissue, their composition in the tissue, and how these chromophores overall affect the scattering and absorption of NIR light are presented. The absorption spectra of these chromophores are shown. Finally, the paper concludes with the author’s perspective on two NIRS-based medical imaging modalities, diffuse optical tomography, and functional near-infrared spectroscopy.

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“…Any method of calibration of mammographic radiographic units which aims to measure breast composition that employs these phantom materials will therefore be contributing to a convenient standardisation of the definition of the adipose and glandular components. A number of such methods has been described, and the quantities proposed as the risk-related measure have covered a considerable range, with some form of percentage glandularity a frequent suggestion for the risk-related variable [3][4][5][6].What is being described as glandular tissue here is in fact a combination of fibroglandular and connective tissue in which the proportion of luminal epithelium, from which most cancers arise, is known to be quite small [7]. However, if the basic assumption is made that an increased relative risk of breast cancer is associated with an unusually large number of glandular cells in the individual breast, that the number of cells at significant risk of carcinogenesis will be proportional to the volume of fibroglandular and connective tissue and that the relative risk associated with the volume of adipose tissue present is negligible, then it would seem reasonable to aim at quantifying the breast composition in terms of the volume of fibroglandular and connective tissue present [8].…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…What is being described as glandular tissue here is in fact a combination of fibroglandular and connective tissue in which the proportion of luminal epithelium, from which most cancers arise, is known to be quite small [7]. However, if the basic assumption is made that an increased relative risk of breast cancer is associated with an unusually large number of glandular cells in the individual breast, that the number of cells at significant risk of carcinogenesis will be proportional to the volume of fibroglandular and connective tissue and that the relative risk associated with the volume of adipose tissue present is negligible, then it would seem reasonable to aim at quantifying the breast composition in terms of the volume of fibroglandular and connective tissue present [8].…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Statistical analysis of mammographic breast composition measurements: towards a quantitative measure of relative breast cancer risk

Kotre

2011

BJR

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Objective: A number of studies have identified the relationship between the visual appearance of high breast density at mammography and an increased risk of breast cancer. With the advent of digital mammography and the promise of routine measurements of parameters associated with breast composition, the possibility arises of using breast composition in a quantitative manner to predict relative breast cancer risk. Previous measurements have shown that the average proportion of glandular and adipose tissue within the breast varies with both age and breast size. In order to be able to identify individual women with an unusually high volume of glandular tissue, it will therefore be necessary to make comparisons with a disease-free population matched for age and breast size. Methods: A large number of breast glandular thickness measurements were analysed to investigate the statistics of breast composition across a disease-free population as a test of a suitable methodology for relative risk estimation. The large data set is also used to revisit the trends in breast composition used in the current UK method of breast radiation dosimetry. Results: It is demonstrated that a non-linear transformation can be used to produce normal statistical distributions, suitable for producing a standardised ''Z-score'' for breast composition. Conclusion: A standard ''Z-score'' approach to identify women with unusually glandular breasts is recommended and so provide a basis for cancer risk estimations. It is generally accepted that a link exists between socalled ''breast density'', i.e. the proportion and pattern of bright areas in a mammographic image denoting glandular tissue, and the relative risk of breast cancer. The field has been reviewed by Harvey and Bovbjerg [1], who identified 12 studies in which quantitative methods of measuring breast density showed a moderate to strong positive association with breast cancer risk. The risk of breast cancer for women with increased breast density in most of these studies is four to six times that for women with primarily adipose breasts; a relative risk greater than most traditional risk factors such as nulliparity and early menarche. With the advent of digital mammography and the promise of replacing visual assessment of breast density with quantitative measurements of parameters associated with breast composition, the possibility arises of using breast composition to predict relative breast cancer risk. In this article, a large number of breast glandular thickness measurements are analysed to investigate the statistics of breast composition across a diseasefree population as a test of a suitable methodology for relative risk estimation.Despite the structural and functional complexity of the female breast, in terms of its mammographic appearance, and for the purposes of constructing a simple cancer risk model, it is convenient to regard the breast as being composed of two tissue components, adipose and glandular. These two components can be defined in terms of their X-ray attenuation prop...

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Determination of breast tissue composition for improved accuracy in estimating radiation doses and risks in mammographic screening

Cited by 3 publications

References 11 publications

Dosimetric implications of age related glandular changes in screening mammography

Dosimetric implications of age related glandular changes in screening mammography

Optical Properties of Tissue in Near-infrared Region for NIRS-based Medical Imaging

Statistical analysis of mammographic breast composition measurements: towards a quantitative measure of relative breast cancer risk

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