Integrating mammographic breast density in glandular dose calculation

Area of Science:

• Radiology and Medical Imaging
• Radiation Dosimetry
• Breast Health

Background:

• Accurate estimation of radiation dose in mammography is crucial for patient safety.
• Current methods for estimating mean glandular dose (MGD) may not fully account for individual patient variations.
• Mammographic breast density (MBD) is an emerging biomarker that could improve dose estimation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and validate a novel method for estimating actual glandular dose (AGD) using mammographic breast density (MBD).
• To compare the proposed AGD estimation with the established Dance et al. method for MGD.
• To assess the correlation and agreement between AGD and MGD.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 52,405 mammograms.
• Utilized LIBRA software to estimate MBD.
• Calculated AGD by integrating MBD into dose calculation, and MGD using the Dance et al. method.
• Employed linear regression and Bland-Altman analyses for comparison.

Main Results:

• A strong positive correlation (R² = 0.987) was found between MGD and AGD.
• A small statistically significant bias (0.087 mGy) was observed between the two methods.
• The Dance method was found to underestimate dose for smaller compressed breast thicknesses (CBTs).

Conclusions:

• AGD estimation using MBD is highly correlated with MGD derived from the Dance method.
• The proposed AGD method offers a potential for individualized dose estimation in mammography.
• This approach could lead to more personalized radiation dose management in breast imaging.