Automated Breast Density from Volpara Solutions Strongly Predicts Risk of Screen-Detected and Interval Cancers

WELLINGTON, New Zealand, May 1, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- In the largest study of its kind to date, researchers at the University of California San Francisco and the Mayo Clinic demonstrated that volumetric breast density, automatically measured by Volpara^®Density™ software, was just as accurate in predicting women's risk of breast cancer and the risk of interval cancers as subjective evaluation by expert radiologists.

Currently, 35 states have laws requiring that women receive breast density notification. Variation in subjective evaluation of breast density using the Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI‑RADS) clinical categories has led to discussion about whether automated BI-RADS density should be reported instead. Prior research has shown that automated breast density is more reproducible than clinical BI-RADS density on repeated measures between screening assessments at different facilities. The study showed that automated and clinical BI-RADS density similarly predicted interval and screen-detected invasive cancer risk, suggesting that either measure may be used to inform women of their breast density.

The study, "Automated and Clinical Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System Density Measures Predict Risk of Screen-Detected and Interval Cancers," was published May 1, 2018, in the Annals of Internal Medicine (doi:10.7326/M17-3008).  Researchers included 1,609 women with invasive cancer detected at screening, 351 women with invasive interval cancer detected within 12 months of a negative screen, and more than 4,400 control participants.

The results demonstrated that women with an automated volumetric breast density assessment of extremely dense breasts had a 5.65 times higher risk of interval cancer and a 1.43 times higher risk of screen-detected cancer than women with scattered fibroglandular densities, the most common density category in average-risk women. The assessment methods were equally accurate in predicting the risk of cancer detected through mammography screening and the risk of interval invasive cancer. Both methods predicted interval cancer more strongly than screen-detected cancer. The findings suggest that either the VolparaDensity automated assessment or clinical BI-RADS measures could be used to inform women of their breast density and associated interval and screen-detected cancer risk.

About Volpara Solutions
Founded with the goal of helping radiologists give women the most accurate information possible regarding their breast health, Volpara Solutions is the wholly owned sales and marketing arm of Volpara Health Technologies Limited of New Zealand. Available in most markets where breast cancer screening is commonplace, VolparaDensity software provides an objective volumetric measure of breast density from both digital mammography and tomosynthesis data. Volpara^®Enterprise™ software is a suite of quantitative breast imaging tools for personalized measurements of density, patient-specific x-ray dose, breast compression, breast positioning, and other factors designed to provide critical insight for breast imaging workflow. For more information, visit www.volparasolutions.com.

SOURCE Volpara Solutions

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