Comparison Study of Breast Tomosynthesis Slice Thicknesses

Study Summary

Early diagnosis is one of the most important factors in the survival of patients diagnosed with breast cancer. To aid in the early detection of breast cancer, a new technology, called tomosynthesis imaging is being developed. The idea behind tomosynthesis imaging is to "look" at the breast from different points of view by obtaining x-ray flat images from different angles while the breast does not move, and then mathematically combine these flat images into a three-dimensional image. The benefit of these three dimensional images is that the radiologist can look at the different tissues of the breast in their real positions, as opposed to all the tissues being "flattened" into a flat image, like that of a normal mammogram. Since tomosynthesis images of the breast show the tissues in their real position, the radiologist should be able to more easily find a tumor and also be able to reduce the number of time he or she thinks there is a tumor present when in reality there is not one there. Before this new technology can be used in the clinic routinely, it is necessary to perform a large number of studies to find the optimal way to use it. In this study, the investigators are aiming to find how thick the slices or layers representing the breast should be in the image when shown to the radiologist. The difference between these two thicknesses in how useful the images are to the radiologist could be important. The investigators are trying to determine if slicing the image of the breast into thicker slices will make the job of the radiologist easier or not when deciding to recommend or not a biopsy (laboratory analysis) of what the previous mammogram found. To find the answer to this question, the investigators will image patients with their tomosynthesis machine and look at the tomosynthesis images with the thin and thick slices. The radiologists that read each image will decide if they would have recommended the patient to get a biopsy based only in each of these images.