The University of Sydney has announced it will partner with Agilent Technologies to develop a more reliable, less subjective methodology to screen for breast cancer and improve detection rates.

 

The project, which recently received a 2012 Novel Concept Award from the National Breast Cancer Foundation, is the first study of its kind to investigate the possibility of measuring physical properties of breast tissue, which could be related to breast cancer risk.

 

Breast tissue density has been widely recognised as being strongly linked to the risk of developing breast cancer. Currently, the most common approach to determining a woman's breast density is for a radiologist to visually assess the percentage of fibroglandular tissue imaged on a mammogram, and assign it to a category of density from 1-4, which is known as the Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) classification system.

 

Project lead Dr Elaine Ryan said a more reliable methodology of measurement of breast density was urgently required.

 

"This is due to the measurement of a 3D volume from a 2D representation of the tissue. In addition, mammograms are not being used to help determine any breast cancer risk models, despite the fact it is widely recognised that analysis of breast density data would be a critically important addition to ways of diagnosing the condition."

 

Dr Ryan said that the project would determine whether measuring the structure and compesition of breast tissue, using x-ray fluorescence signals, could be used as an accurate measure of breast density, thereby providing a reliable and universal method to predict risk of breast cancer development.

 

"A more accurate measure - that does not depend on the subjective opinion of radiologists - would improve the reliability of breast density estimates for risk prediction and could lead to improved targeted screening programs for high risk women,” Dr Ryan said.

 

Breast tissue samples will be supplied through the Sydney Breast Clinic and the Sydney Breast Cancer Network tissue bank, with the consent of participating women. A total of 300 samples will be collected, consisting of 200 samples from breast reduction surgery (normal) patients and 100 samples from cancer surgery patients at a distance from the tumour site. Each sample will be accompanied by a recent (within one year) mammographic image.