By Dr Evelyn Ho

The University Malaya Cancer Research Institute (UMCRi) in collaboration with the Biomedical Imaging Department of the University of Malaya organised the First Asian Symposium on Breast Density. This meeting was well attended with over 100 participants from radiology, surgery, medical physics, radiography, epidemiology, scientists and allied professionals. Despite scientific publications showing the link between dense breasts on mammograms and the increased risk of breast cancer over the years (from 1976), it was only as recent as 2010 before it was widely accepted as an independent risk factor for breast cancer.

The topics included an overview of breast cancer in Asia, breast density and the risk of breast cancer, ethnicity and breast cancer, genetic determinants of breast density, the role of Magnetic Resonance Imaging in screening for breast cancer in dense breasts, the clinical measurement of breast density by Wolfe, Tabar, BIRADS and Boyd classifications, breast density quantification, the role of tomosynthesis in dense breasts, comparison of different methods to assess breast density as well as the volumetric measurement of breast density.

Interesting discussions (with the audience) ensued with regard the clinical application of what is known about breast density but there were still many questions unanswered. There is on-going research and in the near future, perhaps, some of these applications for the women with dense breasts would be known. In the meantime, a better and more objective method would appear to be assessing the volume of dense breasts rather than visual scales used on reviewing the mammogram. The data from research may help to stratify patients better for screening rather than just use age as a deciding factor for mammogram screening. The symposium served as an eye opener for many as the experts shared their experience and research with the audience.

The speakers were Assoc Prof Carla Van Gils (Netherlands), Prof Dr Chia Kee Seng (Singapore), Prof Dr KH Ng (Malaysia), Prof Dr CH Yip (Malaysia), Prof Dr Zulfiqar Muhamed Anuar (Malaysia), Dr Sulaiman Tamanang (Malaysia), Dr Jingmei Li (Singapore) and Dr Ralph Highnam (New Zealand). The symposium was preceded the day before by a breast density research meeting.