Automated Evaluation System of Japanese Mammary Gland Density Using Breast Thickness: An Initial Study

Naoki Kamiya^1, and Norimitsu Shinohara²

¹School of Information Science and Technology, Aichi Prefectural University, Nagakute, Aichi, Japan

²Department of Radiological Technology, School of Health Science, Gifu University of Medical Science, Seki, Gifu, Japan

Cite this paper:
Naoki Kamiya and Norimitsu Shinohara. Automated Evaluation System of Japanese Mammary Gland Density Using Breast Thickness: An Initial Study. Biomedical Science and Engineering. 2016; 4(1):1-5. doi: 10.12691/bse-4-1-1

Abstract

Data in Japan shows that the risk of developing breast cancer increases after the age of 40 and peaks in the late 40s. The most common method of breast cancer screening in Japan is through mammograms, and in recent years, experts have considered combining mammograms with an ultrasound to increase the detection rate of breast cancer. Meanwhile, in the United States, physicians alert the patients of their mammary gland density after the mammogram. The physician offers the possibility of tumors being covered up by the mammary tissue, and use this data to determine the appropriate interval between check-ups. However, this advice based on mammary gland density relies on the physician's visual assessment, and reproducibility remains a challenge. Software that quantitatively evaluates mammary gland density is already commercially available, but is optimized for the Western population. This study aims for the automatic evaluation of mammary gland density of Japanese subjects. We define an evaluation index of the mammary gland amount based on the breast thickness obtained from the DICOM header, and the characteristic amount of breast tissue measured through image analysis. We verified the accuracy of the proposed indicator in its ability to correctly classify mammary gland density across 458 cases, and found it consistent with the physician's classification in 98.5% of the cases. In the future, we look to create an index to calculate average glandular dose (AGD) based on this index.

Keywords:
mammary gland density mammary gland breast thickness architectural evaluation computer-aided diagnosis

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Figures

References:

[1]	Berg, WA., Blume, JD., Cormack, JB., Mendelson, EB., Lehrer, D., Bohm-Velez, M., Pisano, ED., Jong. RA., Evans, WP., Morton, MJ., Mahoney, MC., Larsen, LH., Barr, RG., Farria, DM., Marques, HS and Boparai, K., “Combined screening with ultrasound and mammography vs mammography alone in women at elevated risk of breast cancer,” The Journal of the American Medical Association, 299 (18), 2151-63, May.2008.
[2]	Nothacker, M., Duda, V., Hahn, M., Warm, M., Degenhardt, F., Madjar, H., Weinbrenner, S. and Albert, US., “Early detection of breast cancer: benefits and risks of supplemental breast ultrasound in asymptomatic women with mammographically dense breast tissue. A systematic review,” BMC Cancer, 9, 335, Sep.2009.
[3]	Chae, EY., Kim, HH., Cha, JH., Shin, HJ. and Kim, H., “Evaluation of screening whole-breast sonography as a supplemental tool in conjunction with mammography in women with dense breasts,” Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine, 32 (9), 1573-78, Sep.2013.
[4]	Volpara Solution Limited, “Volpara clinical breast density and its implications for your patients,” Available: http://www.volparadensity.com/solutions/volparadensity/. [Accessed May. 2, 2016].
[5]	Ishihara, S., Taira, N., Kawasaki, K., Ishibe, Y., Mizoo, T., Nishiyama, K., Iwamoto, T., Nogami, T., Motoki, T., Shien, T., Matsuoka, J., Doihara, H., Komoike, Y., Sato, S. and Kanazawa, S., “Association between Mammographic Breast Density and Lifestyle in Japanese Women,” Acta Med Okayama, 67. 145-151. 2013.
[6]	Dai, H., Yan, Y., Wang, P., Liu, P., Cao, Y., Xiong, L., Luo, Y., Pan, T., Ma, X., Wang, J., Yang, Z., Liu, X., Chen, C., Huang, Y., Li, Y., Wang, Y., Hao, X., Ye, Z. and Chen, K., “Distribution of mammographic density and its influential factors among Chinese women,” International Journal of Epidemiology, 43 (4), 1240-51, March.2014.
[7]	Bae, JM., Shin, SY., Kim, EH., Kim, YN., and Nam, CM., “Distribution of dense breasts using screening mammography in Korean women: a retrospective observational study,” Epidemiology and Health, 36, e2014027, Nov.2014.
[8]	Matsubara, T., Kasai, S., Seki, K., Fujita, H., Hara, T. and Endo, T., “Development of a Computer-aided Diagnostic System for Mammograms: Improvement of the Method of Extracting Low-Density Regions during Automated Mass Detection.:Improvement of the Method of Extracting Low-Density Regions during Automated Mass Detection,” Japan Association of Breast Cancer Screening, 7 (1). 87-101. 1998.
[9]	Matsubara, T., Tsuchimoto, T., Hara, T., Fujita, H., Iwase T. and Endo, T., “A Classification Scheme for Mammograms Based on the Evaluation of Fibroglandular Breast Tissue Density,” Japanese journal of medical electronics and biological engineering, 38 (2). 93-101. 2000.
[10]	Matsubara, T., Yamasaki, D., Kato, M., Hara, T., Fujita, H., Iwase, T. and Endo, T., “An automated classification scheme for mammograms based on amount and distribution of fibroglandular breast tissue density,” Proc. of the 15th International Congress and Exhibition CARS 2001, 1230, 545-552, June.2001.
[11]	Matsubara, T., Ichikawa, T., Hara, T., Fujita, H., Kasai, S., Endo, T. and Iwase, T., “Novel method for detecting mammographic architectural distortion based on concentration of mammary gland,” Proc. of the 18th International Congress and Exhibition CARS 2004, 1268, 867-871, June.2004.
[12]	Matsuda, A., Matsuda, T., Shibata, A., Katanoda, K., Sobue, T. and Nishimoto, H., “Cancer incidence and incidence rates in Japan in 2008: a study of 25 population-based cancer registries for the Monitoring of Cancer Incidence in Japan (MCIJ) project,” Japanese Journal of Clinical Oncology, 44 (4) 388-396, Feb.2014.
[13]	Ohuchi, N., Suzuki, A., Sobue, T., Kawai, M., Yamamoto, S., Zheng, Y.F., Endo, T., Fukao, A., Tsuji, I., Yamaguchi, T., Ohashi, Y., Fukuda M. and Ihisda, T., “Sensitivity and specificity of mammography and adjunctive ultrasonography to screen for breast cancer in the Japan Strategic Anti-cancer Randomized Trial (J-START): a randomised controlled trial,” The Lancet, 387 (10016). 341-348. Jan.2016.
[14]	Yafee, J. M. and Jong, A.R., “Adjunctive ultrasonography in breast cancer screening”, The Lancet, 387 (10016). 313-314. Jan.2016.
[15]	Dance, DR., Skinner, CL., Young, KC., Beckett, JR. and Kotre, CJ., “Additional factors for the estimation of mean glandular breast dose using the UK mammography dosimetry protocol,” Physics in Medicine and Biology, 45 (11). 3225-3340. 2000.