Self-compression Technique vs Standard Compression in Mammography

Abstract

IMPORTANCE Many women dread undergoing mammography, and some may not attend or reattend breast cancer screening because of the discomfort or pain induced by breast compression. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the noninferiority of the self-compression mammography technique for reducing breast thickness compared with standard compression. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This prospective, parallel-group, noninferiority randomized clinical trial was conducted from May 7, 2013, to October 26, 2015, at 6 cancer care centers in France. Participants were women aged 50 to 75 years, without a history of recent breast surgical procedure or treatment, and who could perform self-compression. Analyses were performed on intention-to-treat basis from January 27, 2017, to March 30, 2018. INTERVENTIONS Patients were randomized 1:1 to the self-compression group or the standard compression group. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Primary end point was breast thickness expressed as the mean of 4 views: right and left craniocaudal and right and left mediolateral oblique. The predefined noninferiority margin was a difference of 3 mm, with a 1-sided 95% CI. Secondary end points included compression force, image quality, requirement for additional views, pain, and patient satisfaction and radiographer assessment questionnaires. RESULTS Among the 549 women randomized, 548 (97.3%) completed the trial. Of these, 275 (48.8%) (mean [SD] age, 61.35 [6.34] years) were randomized to the self-compression arm and 273 (48.5%) (mean [SD] age, 60.84 [6.41] years) to the standard compression arm. The difference in the mean thickness between the 2 arms was lower than the noninferiority margin, with an upper 1-sided 95% CI less than 3 mm (-0.17; 95% CI,−ϱ to 1.89 mm; P < .05). Compression force was higher in the self-compression group compared with the standard compression arm for the 4 mammographic views. Pain was statistically significantly lower in the self-compression group (n = 274) compared with the standard compression group (n = 269) (median [interquartile range (IQR)] score, 2 [1-5] vs 3 [1-5]; P = .009). No difference was reported in the image quality scores of the 2 groups or in the number of additional views performed (median [IQR] extra views, 2 [2-2] vs 2 [2-3] extra views; P = .64), whatever the indication, including insufficient image quality (29 [16.8%] vs 27 [15.0%] insufficient quality views; P = .65). No adverse effects or pain were reported by the participants after the self-compression mammography. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Self-compression does not appear to be inferior to standard compression mammography in achieving minimal breast thickness without increasing pain or compromising image quality; this technique may be an effective option for women who want to be involved in their breast examination. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02866591

Dedicated Spiral Breast Computed Tomography With a Single Photon-Counting Detector

“…5 Nevertheless, many women renounce to undergo this possibly life-saving examination due to pain or discomfort. 6 In Switzerland, no systematic screening is performed throughout the country.…”

Limitations in the Methodology Assessing Subjective Data With Lack of Blinding in Mammography Screening

“…Henrot and colleagues admitted that the visual analogue scale was a limitation of the study. The mean visual analogue scale score in the self-compression and standard-compression groups was 2 and 3, respectively.…”

“…To the Editor We read with great interest the recently published article by Henrot and colleagues on self-compression techniques vs standard-compression in mammography. If feasible, this innovative idea could increase the uptake of mammography screening among women.…”

Breast Computed Tomography

“…2 A major drawback is based on the fact that some women renounce to undergo a mammography because the needed compression is painful. 3,4 As an alternative to the standard mammography, different approaches have been proposed, such as mammography with self-compression admitted by the patient or avoiding compression by offering an alternative imaging modality. [4][5][6] Dedicated breast computed tomography (B-CT) scanners have been introduced to the market in the last years and offer the possibility to perform a breast examination without compression and keeping dose values in range of mammography.…”

“…In many countries, breast cancer screening programs have been established, and women are invited to undergo a mammography usually every second year 2 . A major drawback is based on the fact that some women renounce to undergo a mammography because the needed compression is painful 3,4 . As an alternative to the standard mammography, different approaches have been proposed, such as mammography with self-compression admitted by the patient or avoiding compression by offering an alternative imaging modality 4–6 …”