Evaluation of the quality of mammographic screening examinations performed in the Mazovian Province in 2007-2009

Background: There is a significant risk of radiation-induced carcinogenesis associated with x-ray mammography. Therefore, the dose received by a woman during mammography should be as low as possible, with an optimal quality of the image. The purpose of this study was to assess changes in the quality of mammographic examinations within three consecutive years of the screening program in the Mazovian Province. Material/Methods: The material for this study consisted of protocols from 114 mammography facilities, developed by physicists from the Mazovian Coordinating Centre in 2007-2009. According to the method published by Dance, individual doses (data from 2007 and 2008) and the value of the absorbed dose in a routine exposure of a standard PMMA phantom with a thickness of 4.5 cm were calculated. Moreover, optical densities of the phantom image (data from the years 2007 to 2009) were measured. Results: The weighted average value of the calculated individual doses in 2008 was lower by 15%, as compared to the value from 2007. Reduction of individual doses is also reflected in the reduced phantom dose in routine exposures performed in consecutive years. In 2007, 2008, and 2009, the phantom dose in routine exposures did not exceed 2.5 mGy in 54%, 70% and 75% mammography facilities (respectively) and the optical density ranged from 1.3 to 1.8. Conclusions: Results from consecutive years showed an evident tendency for decreasing radiation risk, with increasing image quality.