Screening for Breast Cancer

Screening for common diseases is seen by some as a vital intervention in major health problems and by others as a costly exercise in public relations. Breast cancer incidence is increasing and screening programs have been established in many countries. However, questions remain as to their efficacy, given the financial costs to health services, and the emotional and in some cases physical costs to well women who are screened. Screening for Breast Cancer begins by setting out the principles of effective screening programs, and reviews variations in the incidence of breast cancer in different countries and age-groups to shed light on the major risk factors. This leads to a study of the normal and abnormal cell biology on which breast cancer diagnosis depends.

The most common method of screening for early breast cancer worldwide is mammography using X-ray images. Screening for Breast Cancer is supported by a fully interactive DVD, developed in collaboration with a hospital breast screening service. The book and an interactive multimedia sequence explain the physical basis of X-rays, how and why they are used in mammography, and why the breast has to be compressed between two plates for a mammogram. The mammography procedure, how the mammography machine works and how mammograms are interpreted, are explained in videos, concluding with a visit to the follow-up clinic and pathology laboratory where breast biopsy samples are processed and evaluated microscopically.

Some other imaging methods that may become more important in the future are also introduced and the concepts of sensitivity and specificity are explained. The book closes by exploring the benefits, risks and costs of screening for breast cancer, so that the reader can weigh up the pros and cons, and see how the general principles might apply to other screening programmes.

The Online Resource Center features:

For lecturers who are registered adopters of the book:
Figures from the book in electronic - format, available to download

For students:
- Access to ROUTES, a searchable internet database of online resources compiled by academic staff and subject-specialist librarians.

Dr Elizabeth Parvin is a physics lecturer at the Open University, where she concentrates on developing teaching in medical physics at undergraduate and postgraduate level. Following a PhD in low temperature solid state physics at Cambridge University, Elizabeth was a lecturer at Coventry University, where she developed an interest in physics as applied to medicine, forging strong links with the Walsgrave Hospital. Elizabeth has produced various course materials for the Open University, including An Overview of X-ray Imaging and Fourier Imaging - A Short Introduction, both for an Open University Masters course.