Breast compression in breast cancer screening

Making mammography’s in breast cancer screening could become less painful in the future. To study that, in compliance with the Population Screening Act, the Eastern Population Screening Hub in Enschede together with the National Reference Centre for Population Screening in Nijmegen and the Amsterdam University Medical Centre have requested a license for scientific research within the breast cancer screening programme. On June 9th 2011 the Health Council recommended the Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS) to grant that licence.

A good quality mammography involves compressing the breast. For many women this is an unpleasant and often painful experience. The standard force-guided compression does not take the size of the breast into account, whereas pressure-guided compression does. The study aims at pain perception, quality of the mammogram and radiation dose. The results of the study may have a direct impact on the screening program. For this reason the applicants communicate with the Centre for Population Screening (CVB) of the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) which coordinates and directs of the Dutch national screening programs for the ministry of VWS.