Rickard, Mary
Sydney Breast Clinic
Breast cancer is the commonest cancer in Australian women and is a disease of increasing age, with an approximate median incidence age of 61 years. The BreastScreen program, a mammography only screening program targeting women aged 50 to 74 years, aims to establish earlier diagnosis. While breast cancer mortality reduction has been seen since the introduction of the BreastScreen program, not all women have benefitted equally. Some women are at increased risk of developing the disease and for many, mammographic breast density, adversely affects mammographic sensitivity and specificity. Digital breast tomosynthesis, ultrasound examination, and contrast enhanced techniques of contrast enhanced mammography and magnetic resonance imaging all incrementally improve accuracy in screening and diagnosis. Good quality of imaging studies and their careful correlation with patient history and risk and clinical findings optimizes outcomes. The introduction of AI into imaging for image quality assessment, risk evaluation and image interpretation will further improve diagnostic accuracy.