Breast imaging software developer Volpara Solutions is highlighting a Dutch breast density study that suggests volumetric density measures could help evaluate breast screening performance, while also identifying high-risk groups.
The objective of the study from the Dutch Reference Centre for Screening (LRCB) in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, was to compare different methods for measuring breast density, both visual assessments and automated volumetric density, in a breast cancer screening setting.
The study included 992 digital mammographic exams of women participating in the Dutch breast cancer screening program. Breast density was measured using VolparaDensity and categorized using Volpara density grades (VDGs), and was compared to density categories in the fifth edition of the BI-RADS classification system.
Both the volumetric breast density and the absolute dense volume reported by VolparaDensity rose with increasing visual BI-RADS categories. VolparaDensity's automated BI-RADS showed substantial agreement with the visual BI-RADS scores.
Based on these results, volumetric density measures could potentially be used to evaluate screening performance and identify risk groups, the researchers concluded.
