VuCOMP Offers Innovative Breast Density Measurement Tool

According to recent clinical studies, extensive breast density can contribute to making mammogram-based breast cancer detection more challenging and consequently, high density could be associated with a higher breast cancer risk.

In order to classify breast density radiologists use a four-level density grading scale that was established by the American College of Radiology as part of its Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) standards. When a patient falls into one of the higher density categories, they could be recommended to undergo additional screening exams. Supporting this, 13 states have passed legislation requiring physicians to notify patients if their breast density is in one of the two higher categories.

Using advanced computer vision algorithms to evaluate the appearance of structures and textures in the breast in order to differentiate between fatty and dense regions, VuCOMP’s M-Vu Breast Density’s programme then calculates a percentage of breast area that is dense. The following step is to convert this percentage to one of four density categories corresponding to the BI-RADS standard.

Jeff Wehnes, President and CEO of VuCOMP believes that M-Vu Breast Density will become an important new tool in assessing breast density based on greater objectivity and consistency. He went on to explain that in contrast to the volumetric approach, M-Vu Breast Density was designed to analyse the appearance of fibroglandular tissue opposed to simply the total amount of such tissue, helping doctors to better assess the risk that a cancer could remain unidentified in a mammogram.

Available immediately, M-Vu Breast Density can be combined with VuCOMP’s computer-aided detection system, M-Vu CAD, and provide a comprehensive set of high-performance mammography analysis tools.

Source: BusinessWire 

27 December 2013