Digital Mammography Delivers Considerably Less Radiation than Standard Mammography

Data from one of the largest mammography trials ever conducted demonstrated that overall the radiation dose associated with digital mammography is significantly lower (averaging 22% lower) than that of conventional film mammography and that the reduction could be greater in women with larger and denser breasts, according to a recent study.

"The ability to reduce the radiation dose for many women is another step forward for breast cancer screening with mammography--which saves thousands of lives each year,” said R. Edward Hendrick, Ph.D., from the Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University (Chicago, IL, USA), and lead author of the study, published in the February 2010 issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology (AJR).

The American College of Radiology Imaging Network (ACRIN; Philadelphia, PA, USA) Digital Mammographic Imaging Screening Trial (DMIST) published in 2005, enrolled 49,528 women and discovered that digital mammography detected significantly (up to 28%) more tumors than film mammography in women younger than 50 years of age, premenopausal and perimenopausal women, and women with dense breasts.

In this latest DMIST study, published in AJR, technical data from 5,102 DMIST participants were assessed, revealing that the dose received by women imaged with digital mammography was considerably lower than that received by the same women imaged with standard film mammography. "The average breast radiation dose per view was 2.37 mGy for film mammography and 1.86 mGy for digital [22% lower for digital than film mammography],” stated Dr. Hendrick.

Digital mammography is similar to traditional except with digital, X-ray images are gathered on a digital detector and stored on a computer instead of being collected and stored on film. "While the radiation dose from both film and digital mammography are low, further dose reduction is an added benefit of digital mammography over and above its ability to better detect cancers in women with dense breasts,” said Dr. Hendrick.

Access to digital mammography continues to increase. More than 60% of U.S. breast imaging facilities offer digital mammography and more are acquiring digital services each month. "As digital mammography has now been shown to significantly lower the radiation dose, it is likely that access to it will continue to grow,” concluded Dr. Hendrick.

Related Links:
Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University
American College of Radiology Imaging Network