Leading Health and Life Sciences in Nova Scotia

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Densitas density measures provide an alternative to clinical risk factors in predicting cancer risk
HALIFAX, Nova Scotia – January 22, 2016 – The British Journal of Radiology this week published a study on risk factors used to evaluate a woman’s risk of breast cancer at the time of imaging. The study looked at the use of breast density measurements exclusively versus traditional clinical risk factors such as age, family history, and menopausal status. The density measures were collected using DM-Research, a research tool from Densitas that provides accurate and objective breast density measurements from for presentation mammography images.
“Digital imaging generates massive quantities of valuable information, but much of it is overlooked,” said Dr. Sian Iles, Section Head of Breast Imaging at the IWK Health Centre, and associate professor of Radiology at Dalhousie University. “We wanted to explore whether precise and standardized breast density assessments using a fully-automated algorithm [Densitas’ DM-Research] would fare well in determining breast cancer risk in comparison with traditional risk factors.”
It has been established that high mammographic density and traditional clinical risk factors are associated with an increased risk of breast cancer. However, collecting large volumes of traditional risk factor data for individualized cancer risk prediction can be burdensome because of subject recall bias and subjectivity. To investigate the contribution of percent density and area-based density as predictors, the research team from the Nova Scotia Health Authority designed a study that linked historical for presentation images with historical clinical data. The study found the density measures generated from DM-Research to be significantly better predictors of breast cancer risk than traditional factors.
“Because DM-Research processes the same for presentation images that radiologists view for clinical use, researchers can use images routinely stored on PACS,” said Mohamed Abdolell, CEO of Densitas. “This gives researchers the means to conduct retrospective studies with previously collected data, rather than having to prospectively wait to observe clinical outcomes that could take many years to occur.”
Densitas is the only vendor that offers a solution for automated breast density assessment that processes for presentation images. The study is available to read online at http://bit.ly/1JZFUAa.
About Densitas
Densitas Inc. is an ISO 13485-certified software medical device company. Densitas develops data-driven solutions that address the clinical and administrative requirements of hospitals and radiology clinics and healthcare providers. Densitas’ vision is to be the recognized leader in transforming the untapped massive volumes of data generated in the breast imaging enterprise into actionable information to advance improved clinical outcomes and appropriateness of care. Densitas is focused on providing solutions for personalized breast health care for women and appropriate use of healthcare resources.
For more information, visit www.densitas.ca or connect with us on Twitter @Densitas or LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com/company/densitas-inc-).
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Contact
Adele MacLean
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+1-902-405-4610