Mammography

About: Mammography is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 20643 publications have been published within this topic receiving 513679 citations.

Barriers Related to Mammography Use for Breast Cancer Screening Among Minority Women

Abstract: Purpose The purpose of this review was to better understand possible social, economic, cultural, behavioral, and systems barriers to breast cancer screening among minority women. Methods Relevant manuscripts were identified through a MEDLINE/PubMed search for English-language literature from October 1971 through April 2009. The abstracts from a total of 515 manuscripts were reviewed. Only studies conducted among minority women in the United States and examining barriers related to screening mammography were considered. Of 64 relevant articles, 13 cross-sectional and 4 prospective studies met inclusion criteria. Study design; patient characteristics; outcomes regarding knowledge, attitudes and beliefs; social norms; accessibility; and cultural competence regarding breast cancer screening were abstracted. Studies were rated using a methodological quality score (MQS). Results Pain and embarrassment associated with screening mammography, low income and lack of health insurance, poor knowledge about breast cancer screening, lack of physician recommendation, lack of trust in hospitals and doctors, language barriers, and lack of transportation were the most frequently identified barriers. The average MQS of the studies selected was 10.9 (SD = 3.25, range, 4–20). Conclusions Multiple barriers limit screening mammography among minority women. Recognizing predictors of screening among minority women and addressing culturally specific barriers may improve utilization of screening mammography among these women.

A nested case-control study of mammographic patterns, breast volume, and breast cancer (New York City, NY, United States).

Abstract: The relations of Wolfe mammographic patterns, quantitative mammographic densities, and mammographically estimated breast size to breast cancer risk were investigated prospectively in a case-control study nested in the New York University Women's Health Study, a cohort of 14,291 women in New York City, NY (United States). The archived mammograms of 197 breast cancer cases who were identified during the first 5.5 years of the study and of 521 individually matched controls from the same cohort were retrieved and classified according to Wolfe parenchymal patterns and mammographic densities by two expert radiologists. Breast size and volume were estimated on the mammogram's cranio-caudal projection. In both premenopausal and postmenopausal subjects, the risk of breast cancer increased progressively with increasing density and percent density area. A significantly increased risk was found also for Wolfe pattern DY in premenopausal women and P2 pattern in postmenopausal subjects. In premenopausal women, mammographically determined breast volume and breast height also were associated positively with breast cancer risk. Although the results of the present study confirmed that mammographic parenchymal patterns and densities were important predictors of breast cancer risk, their practical use in screening seems limited due to the high prevalence of high risk patterns.

Contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging of the breast.

Abstract: Contrast-enhanced magnetic resonace imaging (MRI) of 28 patients with known breast tumors was compared with clinical findings and histopathology, and for 12 of the patients also with mammography The dynamic measurements performed in 18 patients showed that signal intensity in gradient echo (FFE) images increased rapidly in malignant tumors after contrast injection and reached a plateau level at 1-3 min postcontrast Fibroadenomas showed slower contrast enhancement continuing throughout the whole examination period of 10 min The most enhancing parts of the tumors were selected for intensity measurements The differentiation between malignant and benign tumors in dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI was in accordance with the histopathological findings in all cases The tumor diameter as measured by MRI showed very good agreement with the size of the tumor specimens Comparison of tumor size measurements in mammography and MRI showed that MRI had the most accurate correlation to the measured size of the tumor sp

Mammographic densities as a marker of human breast cancer risk and their use in chemoprevention.

Abstract: Differences in the parenchymal pattern of the breast on mammography reflect differences in the amounts of stromal, epithelial, and fat tissue present in the breast. Stroma and epithelium are radiologically dense, whereas fat is lucent. Extensive areas of mammographically dense breast tissue are strongly associated with an increased risk of breast cancer. A variety of interventions, including gonadotropin-releasing hormone inhibitor, tamoxifen, stopping hormone replacement therapy (HRT), and adopting a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet, all influence the tissue composition of the breast and reduce mammographic densities. Of the interventions examined to date, only tamoxifen has been shown to reduce the incidence of breast cancer, at least in the short term. Conversely, HRT, which increases density, also increases risk of breast cancer. These results suggest that mammographic density may be a short-term marker of the effect on the breast of potential preventive interventions for breast cancer.