DenseBreast-info, Inc.

Get Smart About Being Dense

HOME/USA

EUROPE

Español

Blog

Patient Fact Sheets in 20 Languages!

by

We are on a roll! Our popular Patient Fact Sheet is now available in 20 languages. Newest additions are Chinese and Russian versions. Many thanks to Dr. Steven Cai and Savannah (Qian) Sun for the Chinese translation and to Dr. Olena Weaver and Dr. Olga Puchkova for the Russian version.

Music in the Air
DB-i Education Supporter and European Society of Radiology (ESR) President Prof. Dr. Michael Fuchsjäger shared his operatic talent to open ECR 2021, please enjoy:  https://www.auntminnieeurope.com/index.aspx?sec=ser&sub=def&pag=dis&ItemID=619889

New Research

by

A new study published in Radiology finds that consecutive screening mammograms decrease breast cancer mortality.  Analysis showed that the risk of a fatal breast cancer within 10 years of diagnosis was 50% lower for women who participated in their last two most recent mammography screenings before a breast cancer diagnosis. Read more: Beneficial Effect of Consecutive Screening Mammography Examinations on Mortality from Breast Cancer: A Prospective Study

More Languages Added and SBI Recommendations for Scheduling Mammograms

by

Patient Fact Sheets:
To assist with global patient education efforts, DB-i Patient Fact Sheet translations are available in 18 languages – now including Japanese and Korean. We extend our gratitude to Dr. Noriaki Ohuchi and Dr. Jung Min Chang for their translation assistance.

Scheduling Mammograms and the COVID Vaccine:
JUST OUT:  SBI’s Patient Care and Delivery Committee has developed a patient-friendly version of SBI Screening Recommendations for Women Receiving the COVID-19 Vaccine.

Health Provider FAQ Updates and Imaging Tech Interview

by

DB-i website content is under constant review by our Medical Advisory Board experts. This week the following Health Provider FAQs have been updated to incorporate recent research:

  1. FAQ  #5.  Do dense breasts affect the risk of developing breast cancer?
  2. FAQ #32. How do I identify women who are at higher risk who should have MRI?
  3. FAQ #51. What is the recommended breast screening for women with disease-causing genetic variations?


Education Supporter News:
Just out in Imaging Technology News, an interview with DB-i Education Supporter, Professor Christiane Kuhl, MD,  Use of Breast MRI Screening in Women With Dense Breasts.

Our Women in Science and New Research Findings

by

The 6th annual International Day of Women and Girls in Science was celebrated last Thursday, February 11th. The day highlights the important role women and girls play in science and technology. We are so fortunate to have an international team of dedicated women doctors who work year-round to assist in keeping DenseBreast-info.org an up-to-date and accurate resource on breast density. We were delighted to recognize these amazing women!

Research

New study findings from Incorporating Baseline Breast Density When Screening Women at Average Risk for Breast Cancer advocate for breast density–stratified screening frequency with baseline mammography at age 40 years followed by annual screening at age 40 to 75 years for women with dense breasts and biennial screening at age 50 to 75 years for women without dense breasts.

Storefront Education!

by

Recently, we heard from a patient who took action because she saw DB-i info in a storefront window. Community education saves lives!

“I have dense breasts and during my morning walk kept seeing the sign posted in the storefront. Finally it made me get an MRI which found a small malignant lump. It’s very early and I’m lucky. But you saved my life.” #DenseBreasts #FindItEarly

Bulgaria Screening Guidelines Added to Europe Map & WHO Update

by

European Screening Guidelines

Update: Information on breast screening protocols in Bulgaria have been added to the European Screening Guidelines map and corresponding table.

Breast Cancer Update / World Health Organization

The World Health Organization announced this week that breast cancer has overtaken lung cancer as the most common form of the disease. As a result, this year the WHO will begin hosting a series of consultations in order to establish a new global breast cancer initiative to reduce deaths from breast cancer – including improving timely cancer detection. Learn more HERE.

Updated European Screening Tool and New Available Research

by

WEBSITE NEWS: European Content

The European Screening Decision Support Tool has just been updated. The tool represents a screening protocol to optimize cancer detection; individual countries vary in screening guidelines, available technologies, and informing women of breast density. Please see the European Screening Guidelines map for country-specific information.

New Research Article

AI evaluation of the mammogram alone may identify women at high risk better than risk models based on family history, biopsies, and/or genetic testing.  In the study by Yala et al, Mirai, a risk model developed at MGH to assess breast cancer risk from screening mammograms, more accurately identified high-risk patients than the Tyrer-Cuzick v8 risk model and prior deep learning models. Mirai identified 41.5% of women developing breast cancer in the next five years as high-risk, compared to only 22.9% with the Tyrer-Cuzick model v8. Mirai performed similarly across all density categories. (Yala A, Mikhael PG, Strand F, et al. Toward robust mammography-based models for breast cancer risk. Sci Transl Med. 2021;13(578):eaba4373. doi: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aba4373)

2 New Languages for Patient Fact Sheets and More Legislative Resources

by

Patient Tools

New! Patient Fact Sheets are now available in Danish and Dutch! This one-page downloadable resource is available in 16 languages – because breast density education matters everywhere.

 

U.S. Legislation Resources

Did you know the DenseBreast-info.org relaunch includes new legislation resource tools?:

  1. There is now a “Download Map” option on the map page for presentation use.
  2. The table featuring state-by-state comparison of inform/insurance laws is now available here.

Risk Model Update & 2020 Recap

by

Risk Model Tutorial Update:
New update! In addition to the known rare genetic mutations that increase breast cancer risk, there is increasing interest on the impact of more common variations on breast cancer risk. We have added a discussion of polygenic risk score to our Risk Model Tutorial / “Diagnostic Considerations” section.

2020 Recap
Thanks to you and with your help, in addition to the website launch, we had several more 2020 highlights:

  1. Despite COVID, we had over 200,000 visits to the website
  2. There were over 6,000 downloads of educational PDFs
  3. We introduced Patient Fact Sheets in 14 languages (more coming!)
  4. There are a growing number of groups linking to/sharing DB-i resources

New Year! New Look! New Content!

by

NEWS! Website Relaunch:
We’re welcoming change in the New Year! The DenseBreast-info.org website has been relaunched. In addition to a new look, the website now houses downloadable patient resources all under one roof – including patient fact sheets in 14 languages and a Spanish language hub. We’ve also updated our provider resources, improved our blog and press hub, and added downloads on state density inform laws. Learn more HERE.

State Legislation Update:
Kentucky’s 2017  “density inform” law was written with a “sunset clause” and, unfortunately, expired on 1/1/21. DB-i website legislative content has been updated to reflect this change, including the map visual. Please note, the updated count for U.S. states that have some level of mandatory inform is 37. There are now 4 states (Indiana, Kentucky, Maine and No Dakota) that have efforts for breast density reporting/education that do not require notification.

Europe/EFRS Update and Looking Toward 2021

by

The European Federation of Radiographers Societies joins many other European groups sharing/linking to DenseBreast-info.org education resources for members. Learn why EFRS leadership feels it important that providers understand the screening implications of dense tissue HERE.

Our Condolences:
DenseBreast-info.org, the entire breast imaging community, and women worldwide are profoundly grateful to Dr. Lawrence Bassett for his decades of significant contributions to every aspect of breast imaging: quality assurance, standardized reporting, education, scholarship, and friendship. We mourn his unexpected passing on December 14, 2020.

This has been a trying, challenging year on many fronts. We thank you for your ongoing support and for your continued focus on women’s breast health during a global pandemic. We send every wish for a peaceful holiday season to you and your family and our hopes that 2021 brings only blessings.

National Reporting Standard: Where We Are

by

U.S. National “Density” Reporting Standard

As you may recall, 2019 saw progress on both the federal legislative and regulatory fronts for a national breast density reporting standard for patients and referring providers (learn more HERE).  The federal law directs the FDA, through the regulatory process, to develop reporting language and ensure that mammography reports and summaries received by patients and their providers include appropriate information about breast density – though no timeline was included.

So, where are we now?  Next steps would be the publication of the FDA/MQSA Final Rule and implementation period. While that was originally anticipated in Sept/Oct of 2020, updated timing has not yet been announced. In the meantime, individual state “inform” laws remain in effect and guide reporting requirements.

Educational Needs for European Providers and News Out of Canada

by

Educational Needs of Referring Physicians

In the current issue of Radiology Today, our OB/GYN Medical Advisory Board members, Drs. Elizabeth Etkin-Kramer and DaCarla M. Albright, share their insights on the educational needs of referring providers, Women’s Imaging – Educational Needs of Referring Physicians in Managing Patients with Dense Breasts. Included is a Case Study in Education by Dr. Toula Destounis that details how her center addressed referring provider and community education when New York’s density inform law went into effect.

Canadian MAB Member News:

Congratulations to Dr. Paula Gordon, 2020 recipient of the Prix d’excellence – Specialist of the Year! Dr. Gordon, a tireless and engaged voice on the topic, is a medical advisor to both DenseBreast-info.org and patient advocacy effort DenseBreastsCanada.ca

New MAB Spotlight:  Dr. Jean Seely is Professor of Medicine in the Department of Radiology at the University of Ottawa. She is Head of the Breast Imaging Section at the Ottawa Hospital, Regional Breast Imaging Lead for the Ontario Breast Screening Program in Champlain region and Co-Chair of the Canadian Association of Radiologists’ Breast Imaging Working group and sits on the Executive board of CAR Mammography Accreditation Program. She is a Fellow of the Society of Breast Imaging. She is an Editorial Board member of Canadian Association of Radiology and Breast Imaging Journals. Her commitment is to reduce the mortality and morbidity of breast cancer and provide high quality breast imaging nationally and internationally. She is President of the Canadian Society of Breast Imaging. Her research interests include Breast MRI, breast cancer screening, quality in breast imaging and patient experience. We are delighted to have Dr. Seely on board!

Resource Updates and Extended Outreach

by

Who Needs More Screening? Flowchart:
The Who Needs More Screening? flowchart has been newly updated to reflect NCCN endorsement of contrast-enhanced mammography or ultrasound for women who meet criteria for screening MRI but are unable to have it; please discontinue use of any earlier version.  (European visitor access: click USA/HOME, and see dropdown in For Providers tab)

Density Education in Europe:
The European Federation of Radiographer Societies (EFRS) will be linking to DB-i website/materials as a resource for their members. Through its member organisations, the EFRS represents 45 national societies/professional bodies, 66 academic institutions of radiography education, and more than 105,000 radiographers and 8,500 radiography students across Europe.

The International Cancer Control Partnership (ICCP) now includes the DB-i link within the ICCP resource portal of key resources. The ICCP is a group of organisations engaged in supporting country cancer control planning efforts. Through the ICCP, these organisations, including the WHO, CDC, NCI-USA, and UICC, are committed to working together to ensure that all countries have a well-resourced, quality cancer control plan, integrated with non-communicable disease control efforts.

RSNA:
It is the time of year when many are normally headed to RSNA.  While always a wonderful opportunity to meet with our generous Educational Supporters and host DB-i’s annual MAB and European Ambassadors appreciation dinner, this year will be quite different. We wish all a productive virtual RSNA and look forward to seeing everyone in 2021!