Byron A. Feig1, Jeon-Hor Chen1,2, Ke Nie1, Thomas J. Bakondy3, Vashita Dhir3, Kenneth Meng3, R Oganeseyan3, Orhan Nalcioglu1, Min-Ying Lydia Su1
1Tu & Yuen Center for Functional Onco-Imaging, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA; 2Department of Radiology, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan; 3Department of Radiology, University of California Irvine Medical Center, Orange, CA, USA
Breast density measured by computer-algorithm based quantitative analysis on MRI, and the density evaluated on mammogram by radiologists based on BI-RADS category and the deciles percent density were compared. The Pearson correlation only yielded a loose positive correlation. The subjective assessment of breast density by radiologists was highly variable. The results suggested that mammographic density is highly susceptible to reader variation and the intrinsic limitation due to the nature of the projection on mammogram. A small amount of scattered dense tissues within the breast could yield a moderate density on the projection mammogram. The clinical significance of the MRI-based density analysis warrants further investigation.