Saint Joseph Hospital in Denver has become the first medical facility to install VolparaDensity in a mobile mammography unit. VolparaDensity is Volpara Solutions’ automated volumetric breast density assessment software for digital mammography and tomosynthesis.

"A large portion of women across the United States get their annual breast screening through mobile mammography, so we are thrilled to see Saint Joseph Hospital providing the benefits of VolparaDensity to those women," Shawl Lobree, global vice president of sales and marketing at Volpara Solutions, told HCB News.

Saint Joseph Hospital will now be able to obtain objective breast density measurements for the more than 8,000 mammograms that are performed per year on the hospital’s two Hologic mammography systems and its advanced mobile mammography system.
Radiologists have historically determined breast density based on their own visual assessment and because of that the measurements tend to vary. Breast density assessment software standardizes that process to provide a more objective measurement.

Measuring breast density is important because it helps physicians determine which patients may need additional screening. Women with dense breasts on mammogram have a risk of breast cancer that is 1.2 to 2 times that of women with average breast density, according to the American Cancer Society.

"This first mobile installation is significant because it expands access to objective density assessment across the entire patient population and ensures that every mammogram or tomosynthesis exam conducted receives the best care available,” wrote Lobree. “With a growing body of research demonstrating the importance of volumetric breast density to mammographic sensitivity, as well as the risk of being diagnosed with an interval cancer, this consistency is very important.”

In 2015, VolparaDensity was installed on over 150 digital mammography systems and overall there have been more than 500 systems installed globally.

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