This Friday 8 March, we are commencing a new research trial at Maroondah BreastScreen.
The trial, known as ‘BreastScreen trial of hybrid tomosynthesis vs. Mammography screening’, is a partnership between BreastScreen Victoria, Eastern Health and the University of Sydney. It aims to find out whether 3D mammography (tomosynthesis) improves screening outcomes for Australian women and how it could be used in the BreastScreen Australia program.
At BreastScreen Victoria, we have utilised standard 2D mammography for the past 30 years. This involves taking two 2D views of each breast: one from the top and one from the side. However, research in Australia and abroad has shown that 3D mammography increases breast cancer detection as it is more precise and captures areas of the breast that may not be visible in a standard 2D mammogram.
This trial will compare a hybrid tomosynthesis mammogram to a standard 2D mammogram. Clients who agree to participate will have two views taken using standard 2D mammography (from the top) and two views taken using 3D mammography (from the side); this is called a hybrid tomosynthesis screening mammogram.
The goal is to determine if a hybrid tomosynthesis mammogram is better at detecting cancer and reduce the number of women who require unnecessary follow-up investigations as part of routine breast cancer screening, compared to a standard 2D mammogram.
Over 2 years, we anticipate screening 20,000 clients as part of the trial.
The hybrid screening trial is being funded by the National Breast Cancer Foundation Endowed Chair Grant and the National Health and Medical Research Council Investigator (Leader) Grant, awarded to Professor Nehmat Houssami – lead researcher on the project.
“We plan to use a hybrid approach that combines technologies to improve our ability to identify any abnormalities in breast tissue at the earliest stages,” Prof Houssami says. “This will give our patients the best chance of successful treatment outcomes.”
This new trial is a great opportunity to learn more about 3D mammography and how we can effectively and efficiently use it to improve early detection of breast cancer.
You can find the full media release here.
For more information about this trial and other research, please contact our Research and Policy Manager at sdoncovio@breastscreen.org.au.