In March 2022 Leading European Radiology Experts put forward their Recommendations on Screening Women with Densebreasts. They also recommend that Women are appropriately notified about their individual level of Breast Density
A recent Twitter Poll result shows 96% of respondents agree that #BreastCheck should Notify Women about their Personal Category of Breast Density
This sends a clear message to our National Breast Screening Programme, that women want to have this vital information shared with them, at source.
“We have known for a long time that the performance of mammography screening in women with extremely dense breasts is not very good” says Fiona Gilbert, current president of EUSOBI. “However, we had nothing better to offer. The recent MRI screening trials have largely changed this.”
The new recommendation has far-reaching consequences for all women, as it implies that they should be informed of their breast density when screened. EUSOBI calls on all screening organizations to provide women with this information. The recommendation also acknowledges that there are clear downsides of screening for breast cancer, and calls on breast radiologists to inform women appropriately.
“Women should have a say in if and how they want to be screened. This implies on one hand that we must offer women all methods – including breast MRI – that are proven effective, while on the other hand we should never hold it against them when they opt for less effective methods or even no screening at all” says Ritse Mann, chair of EUSOBI’s scientific committee and first author of the new recommendation.
EUSOBI acknowledges that it may take time before the new recommendations are implemented, and that the level of implementation is dependent on the resources that are available locally. A webinar for further explanation and discussion of the recommendation is planned. EUSOBI is always willing to advice on local implementation of its recommendations.
The full recommendation can be found here: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-022-08617-
Until our National Screening Advisory Committee adopt these European Recommendations women will have to make individual requests through their GPs say BreastCheck in their most recent HSE Publication. To assist with that we encourage use of our Breast Density Request Form It’s user friendly and holds all relevant details once it’s completed in full.
Further information can be found Education and Awareness around Breast Density https://beingdense.com/
About EUSOBI:
EUSOBI is Europe’s prime association of breast imaging specialists. EUSOBI is a daughter society of the European Society of Radiology (ESR). The core members of EUSOBI are dedicated breast radiologists who are best positioned to bring together the clinical and theoretical realities of breast imaging. Other scientists are welcome as associate members. EUSOBI thus brings together extensive expertise on imaging based breast care, ranging from screening applications to image guided treatment and follow-up.
For further information, please contact: office@eusobi.org
Being Dense 