The role of screening mammography associated with the breast pathology

On September 21, 2017, a conference of radiologists was held in the assembly hall of the Lviv Oblast-level phthysio-pulmonary centre on the topic of "The role of screening mammography and radiological diagnostics of chest pathology".

 

During the conference, the report was presented by Orest Tril, a surgical oncologist, deputy head physician in the Lviv State Oblast-level Cancer Treatment and Diagnostics Centre on the topic of "Organization of mammography screening in the framework of the "Preventive oncology".

 

Orest Volodymyrovych brought up significant figures associated with breast cancer in Ukraine and the world statistics. Breast cancer in the United States today remains the number 1 type of cancer in women. Also, compared to Ukraine, where the average life expectancy of women is less than that in the developed European countries, the incidence rate in Western Europe remains high despite screening programs. The highest levels of morbidity is in the countries of North America, because there is the highest average life expectancy rate, and the screening program covers more than 70% of the female population.

 

Long-term screening programs introduced in the developed countries show a high incidence rate of breast cancer; however, the mortality associated with this pathology remains at a stable level. This is, in fact, the reflection of the essence of the screening program, the increase in the number of cancers detected at early stages, which increases the 5-year survival rate.

 

Modern technology does not stand still. Analog mammography devices were replaced with the digital ones, which have obvious advantages in terms of processing, magnification, inversion, illumination or blackout, as well as storage in a woman's history for the sake of comparing the images.

 

The age requirement for breast cancer screening of 45-65 years has been adopted in the Lviv oblast. This is due to the damage/benefit ratio. Momographic density of the breast is an obstacle to screening at a young age. Therefore, mammography screening in the age of up to 45 is not recommended. After all, mammography is accompanied by a small dose of radiation, but that radiation is accumulated in the body of a woman throughout life. Mammography associated with "density" in the age of after 45 is the most important criterion for breast cancer risk, which changes the frequency of the examination to 1 time per year, instead of 1 time in 3 years. Regarding the women in the age of over 65, it's important to have mammography at that age at least one time per life.

 

During the conference, reports were presented by the radiologist from the Lviv Cancer Treatment Facility, Mariana Pryima and by the radiologist in the mammography room from the Saint Paraskeva Medical Centre, Oksana Horbkova,who demonstrated the traps in mammography examinations, as well as the combination of different diagnostic methods (ultrasound, MRI, etc.) using the clinical examples.

 

Mariana Pryima demonstrated new diagnostic possibilities at the oblast-level cancer treatment centre, thanks to the equipment purchased under the "Preventive oncology and the implementation of effective anti-tumour technologies in Lviv oblast" Subproject. Particularly, the advantages and the importance in the diagnostics of chest pathologies include 3D tomosynthesis, which makes it possible to reproduce the 3D image of the breast with a layered cut.

 

Radiologists from the entire oblast got acquainted with the work of the multi-district screening centres for the sake of involving women from the Lviv oblast in the examination.