Accessibility Statement Skip Navigation
  • Why PRWeb
  • How It Works
  • Who Uses It
  • Pricing
  • Login
  • GDPR
  • Create a Free Account
Return to PRWeb homepage
  • News
  • Resources
  • Contact
When typing in this field, a list of search results will appear and be automatically updated as you type.

Searching for your content...

No results found. Please change your search terms and try again.
  • News in Focus
      • Browse News Releases

      • All News Releases
      • Multimedia Gallery

      • All Multimedia
      • All Photos
      • All Videos
  • Business & Money
      • Auto & Transportation

      • Aerospace, Defense
      • Air Freight
      • Airlines & Aviation
      • Automotive
      • Maritime & Shipbuilding
      • Railroads and Intermodal Transportation
      • Supply Chain/Logistics
      • Transportation, Trucking & Railroad
      • Travel
      • Trucking and Road Transportation
      • View All Auto & Transportation

      • Business Technology

      • Blockchain
      • Broadcast Tech
      • Computer & Electronics
      • Computer Hardware
      • Computer Software
      • Data Analytics
      • Electronic Commerce
      • Electronic Components
      • Electronic Design Automation
      • Financial Technology
      • High Tech Security
      • Internet Technology
      • Nanotechnology
      • Networks
      • Peripherals
      • Semiconductors
      • View All Business Technology

      • Entertain­ment & Media

      • Advertising
      • Art
      • Books
      • Entertainment
      • Film and Motion Picture
      • Magazines
      • Music
      • Publishing & Information Services
      • Radio & Podcast
      • Television
      • View All Entertain­ment & Media

      • Financial Services & Investing

      • Accounting News & Issues
      • Acquisitions, Mergers and Takeovers
      • Banking & Financial Services
      • Bankruptcy
      • Bond & Stock Ratings
      • Conference Call Announcements
      • Contracts
      • Cryptocurrency
      • Dividends
      • Earnings
      • Earnings Forecasts & Projections
      • Financing Agreements
      • Insurance
      • Investments Opinions
      • Joint Ventures
      • Mutual Funds
      • Private Placement
      • Real Estate
      • Restructuring & Recapitalization
      • Sales Reports
      • Shareholder Activism
      • Shareholder Meetings
      • Stock Offering
      • Stock Split
      • Venture Capital
      • View All Financial Services & Investing

      • General Business

      • Awards
      • Commercial Real Estate
      • Corporate Expansion
      • Earnings
      • Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)
      • Human Resource & Workforce Management
      • Licensing
      • New Products & Services
      • Obituaries
      • Outsourcing Businesses
      • Overseas Real Estate (non-US)
      • Personnel Announcements
      • Real Estate Transactions
      • Residential Real Estate
      • Small Business Services
      • Socially Responsible Investing
      • Surveys, Polls and Research
      • Trade Show News
      • View All General Business

  • Science & Tech
      • Consumer Technology

      • Artificial Intelligence
      • Blockchain
      • Cloud Computing/Internet of Things
      • Computer Electronics
      • Computer Hardware
      • Computer Software
      • Consumer Electronics
      • Cryptocurrency
      • Data Analytics
      • Electronic Commerce
      • Electronic Gaming
      • Financial Technology
      • Mobile Entertainment
      • Multimedia & Internet
      • Peripherals
      • Social Media
      • STEM (Science, Tech, Engineering, Math)
      • Supply Chain/Logistics
      • Wireless Communications
      • View All Consumer Technology

      • Energy & Natural Resources

      • Alternative Energies
      • Chemical
      • Electrical Utilities
      • Gas
      • General Manufacturing
      • Mining
      • Mining & Metals
      • Oil & Energy
      • Oil and Gas Discoveries
      • Utilities
      • Water Utilities
      • View All Energy & Natural Resources

      • Environ­ment

      • Conservation & Recycling
      • Environmental Issues
      • Environmental Policy
      • Environmental Products & Services
      • Green Technology
      • Natural Disasters
      • View All Environ­ment

      • Heavy Industry & Manufacturing

      • Aerospace & Defense
      • Agriculture
      • Chemical
      • Construction & Building
      • General Manufacturing
      • HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning)
      • Machinery
      • Machine Tools, Metalworking and Metallurgy
      • Mining
      • Mining & Metals
      • Paper, Forest Products & Containers
      • Precious Metals
      • Textiles
      • Tobacco
      • View All Heavy Industry & Manufacturing

      • Telecomm­unications

      • Carriers and Services
      • Mobile Entertainment
      • Networks
      • Peripherals
      • Telecommunications Equipment
      • Telecommunications Industry
      • VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol)
      • Wireless Communications
      • View All Telecomm­unications

  • Lifestyle & Health
      • Consumer Products & Retail

      • Animals & Pets
      • Beers, Wines and Spirits
      • Beverages
      • Bridal Services
      • Cannabis
      • Cosmetics and Personal Care
      • Fashion
      • Food & Beverages
      • Furniture and Furnishings
      • Home Improvement
      • Household, Consumer & Cosmetics
      • Household Products
      • Jewelry
      • Non-Alcoholic Beverages
      • Office Products
      • Organic Food
      • Product Recalls
      • Restaurants
      • Retail
      • Supermarkets
      • Toys
      • View All Consumer Products & Retail

      • Entertain­ment & Media

      • Advertising
      • Art
      • Books
      • Entertainment
      • Film and Motion Picture
      • Magazines
      • Music
      • Publishing & Information Services
      • Radio & Podcast
      • Television
      • View All Entertain­ment & Media

      • Health

      • Biometrics
      • Biotechnology
      • Clinical Trials & Medical Discoveries
      • Dentistry
      • FDA Approval
      • Fitness/Wellness
      • Health Care & Hospitals
      • Health Insurance
      • Infection Control
      • International Medical Approval
      • Medical Equipment
      • Medical Pharmaceuticals
      • Mental Health
      • Pharmaceuticals
      • Supplementary Medicine
      • View All Health

      • Sports

      • General Sports
      • Outdoors, Camping & Hiking
      • Sporting Events
      • Sports Equipment & Accessories
      • View All Sports

      • Travel

      • Amusement Parks and Tourist Attractions
      • Gambling & Casinos
      • Hotels and Resorts
      • Leisure & Tourism
      • Outdoors, Camping & Hiking
      • Passenger Aviation
      • Travel Industry
      • View All Travel

  • Policy & Public Interest
      • Policy & Public Interest

      • Advocacy Group Opinion
      • Animal Welfare
      • Congressional & Presidential Campaigns
      • Corporate Social Responsibility
      • Domestic Policy
      • Economic News, Trends, Analysis
      • Education
      • Environmental
      • European Government
      • FDA Approval
      • Federal and State Legislation
      • Federal Executive Branch & Agency
      • Foreign Policy & International Affairs
      • Homeland Security
      • Labor & Union
      • Legal Issues
      • Natural Disasters
      • Not For Profit
      • Patent Law
      • Public Safety
      • Trade Policy
      • U.S. State Policy
      • View All Policy & Public Interest

  • People & Culture
      • People & Culture

      • Aboriginal, First Nations & Native American
      • African American
      • Asian American
      • Children
      • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
      • Hispanic
      • Lesbian, Gay & Bisexual
      • Men's Interest
      • People with Disabilities
      • Religion
      • Senior Citizens
      • Veterans
      • Women
      • View All People & Culture

  • Hamburger menu
  • Cision PRWeb provides efficient communication tools to continuously engage with target audiences across multiple online channels
  • Create a Free Account
    • ALL CONTACT INFO
    • Contact Us


      11AM ET Sunday – 8PM ET Friday

  • Send a Release
  • Sign up
  • Log in
  • Resources
  • RSS
  • GDPR
  • News in Focus
    • Browse All News
    • Multimedia Gallery
  • Business & Money
    • Auto & Transportation
    • Business Technology
    • Entertain­ment & Media
    • Financial Services & Investing
    • General Business
  • Science & Tech
    • Consumer Technology
    • Energy & Natural Resources
    • Environ­ment
    • Heavy Industry & Manufacturing
    • Telecomm­unications
  • Lifestyle & Health
    • Consumer Products & Retail
    • Entertain­ment & Media
    • Health
    • Sports
    • Travel
  • Policy & Public Interest
  • People & Culture
    • People & Culture
  • Send a Release
  • Sign up
  • Log in
  • Resources
  • RSS
  • GDPR
  • Send a Release
  • Sign up
  • Log in
  • Resources
  • RSS
  • GDPR
  • Send a Release
  • Sign up
  • Log in
  • Resources
  • RSS
  • GDPR

Univ of Malaya Researchers Publish Exhaustive Review of Breast Density Assessment and Enabling Role in Improving Performance of Breast Cancer Screening in Medical Physics
  • USA - English


News provided by

University of Malaya

Dec 01, 2015, 08:00 ET

Share this article

Share toX

Share this article

Share toX


KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (PRWEB) December 01, 2015 -- Volumetric breast density measurement will aid in more accurate cancer risk-stratification, allow more reliable studies on breast density as an independent risk factor for breast cancer, and enable clinicians to confidently engage patients in participatory medicine. That is the conclusion of an exhaustive review of breast density measurement over the past 40 years in the paper, “Vision 20/20: Mammographic Breast Density and its Clinical Applications,” published in the December issue of Medical Physics, (DOI: 10.1118/1.4935141).

To support the wide spread clinical use of breast density, we need to be able to test them versus ground truth, such as 3D imaging tools, which requires an automated and reproducible density assessment tool."

Post this

Concerned about the growing incidence of breast cancer in Malaysia and the region and the high rate of breast density among Asian women, Professor Kwan-Hoong Ng, PhD, DABMP and Susie Lau, MMedPhys, of the Department of Biomedical Imaging and University of Malaya Research Imaging Centre, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, developed the Vision 20/20 article to illustrate “why we believe we are now witnessing a paradigm shift towards personalized breast screening, which is going to see many more cancers being detected early, with the use of automated volumetric density measurement tools an important component.”

"Breast density is clearly the key to decisions about screening intervals and screening modalities," said Professor Ng. "Despite many research reports, we were surprised at the lack of physics-led and evidence-based science behind many methods of measuring breast density. In order to support the wide spread clinical use of breast density, we need to be able to test them versus ground truth, such as 3D imaging tools like Breast MRI or Breast CT, which requires an automated and reproducible density assessment tool."

The manuscript reviewed the development of breast density estimation from pattern analysis to area-based analysis, and the current automated volumetric breast density (VBD) analysis. The impact of density on cancer risk was first reported on in the 1970s by Professor John Wolfe and others who created breast tissue stratifications and suggested that women with certain density patterns were substantially more likely to develop breast cancer than those with other density patterns. Despite subjective results that could not be reproduced, Professor Norman Boyd believed there was value to Wolfe’s premise that breast density might contain insights into breast cancer risk. Boyd teamed with Professor Martin Yaffe in the 1980s to develop Cumulus, a semi-automated density software based on visual area based density assessment. While Cumulus has proven to be a promising research tool, it has limited clinical utility because of the time it takes, and attempts to reliably automate the density assessment have widely failed as a result of the variability in mammography systems, breast composition and image processing algorithms.

According to Prof Ng, these issues led some notable radiologists to question area-based density on a number of grounds. For example, Kopans stated “Radiologists can guesstimate the percentage of breast tissue that is dense, but they are still using 2D information to assess a 3D phenomenon, and they cannot possibly be accurate in any absolute sense.” Because of their very nature, area-based measurements are hard to match to any semblance of ground truth, Professor Ng added.

The manuscript follows the role of breast density with its inclusion in BI-RADS. The American College of Radiology (ACR) began a process to standardize breast density reporting in the 3rd edition of the BI-RADS Atlas in 1993. In 2013, with breast density reporting becoming a very hot topic, the ACR decided to focus BI-RADS density onto the risk of cancer being missed. In the 5th edition, the ACR reiterated that breast density is an assessment of the volume of dense tissue in the breast and that subjective estimates from a 2D mammogram are imprecise indicators of volume.

Moving to the work by Ralph Highnam, Ph.D and Sir Professor Mike Brady on volumetric breast density, the manuscript highlights the objective approach based on the physics of the x-ray imaging process. According Professor Ng, volumetric breast density is reproducible and easy to automate, and recent publications regarding the association of volumetric breast density to cancer risk and mammographic sensitivity have firmly proven the technology is ready for clinical use. In addition to dozens of publications from leading research sites around the globe using VolparaDensity, the software has been validated against a subset of the 2006 DMIST study and in multiple independent studies against breast MRI measurements of fibroglandular volume.

Professor Ng concludes that current commercial volumetric methods are working and we can expect great improvement in VBD measurements that will satisfy the needs of radiologists, epidemiologists, surgeons, and physicists. “It is also fortuitous that volumetric measures deliver a more robust tool for epidemiologists, who can use it to correlate with the risk of developing cancer; clinicians and surgeons, who can use its quantifiable measurements for making clinical decisions; and physicists, who can obtain objective, reliable, and reproducible statistics.”

About University of Malaya
The University of Malaya (UM) is a public research university located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is the oldest and most esteemed university in Malaysia. The UM researchers are in collaborative partnerships with more than 100 international institutions working on diverse topics from HIV-Aids, infectious diseases, biodiversity, nanotechnology to law, intellectual property, culture, religion, gender studies and poverty eradication studies. For more information, visit http://www.ummc.edu.my/
# # #

Kwan-Hoong Ng, PhD, University of Malaya, https://www.um.edu.my/, +60 12 3711811, [email protected]

Modal title

Contact PRWeb

  • 11AM ET Sunday – 8PM ET Friday
  • Contact Us

About PRWeb

  • About PRWeb
  • Partners
  • Partnership Programs
  • Editorial Guidelines
  • Resources

Why PRWeb

  • Why PRWeb
  • How It Works
  • Who Uses It
  • Pricing

Accounts

  • Create a Free Account
  • Log in
  • Contact Us

Do not sell or share my personal information:

  • Submit via [email protected] 
  • Call Privacy toll-free: 877-297-8921

Contact Cision

Products

About

My Services
  • All News Releases
  • Online Member Center
  • ProfNet
Cision Distribution Helpline
888-776-0942
  • Legal
  • Site Map
  • RSS
  • Cookie Settings
Copyright © 2025 Cision US Inc.