3D Mammography

Overview

The purpose of the grant is to contribute to the expansion of a pilot trial, being conducted under the auspices of Eastern Health (one of Melbourne’s largest metropolitan public health services), which is designed to demonstrate the efficacy of 3D mammography (tomosynthesis) for the early detection of breast cancer.  The trial currently facilitates tomosynthesis for 5,000 women attending routine mammography screening at Maroondah Breastscreen with the Eastern Health Breast and Cancer Centre.  This grant will be combined with community-sourced funding of $310,000 to expand the trial to include a further 5,000 – 10,000 women in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne. The objectives of the grant are to: • Improve the evidence base relating to the longer-term impact of tomosynthesis on cancer mortality, treatment morbidity, and quality-of-life improvement; and • Expand the Eastern Health tomography pilot trial to include a total patient cohort of between 10,000 – 15,000 women from the eastern suburbs of Melbourne.  The intended outcomes of the grant are: Improved understanding of the efficacy, effectiveness, and safety of tomosynthesis as a screening test for breast cancer; Improved understanding of the relative merits, cost, efficacy, effectiveness, and safety of tomosynthesis when compared with 2-view digital mammography; and Improved early detection of breast cancer.