A COMPARISON OF DIAGNOSTIC ACCURACY AND RADIATION DOSE BETWEEN BREAST COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY AND MAMMOGRAPHY FOR METASTASIS DETECTION IN ASYMPTOMATIC BREAST CANCER

Abstract

The aim of this study is to compare the radiation dose and diagnostic accuracy of Breast Computed Tomography and Mammography in asymptomatic breast cancer patients. The study included forty seven patients, aged between forty and seventy years, with a mean age of 55 years. 30 patients underwent CT scan for breast cancer detection, 17 patients underwent mammography and from which two patients underwent both Breast Computed Tomography (BCT) and Mammography (MG) for metastasis detection, data were obtained from BVH and BINO cancer Hospital Bahawalpur in 2024. Breast CT demonstrated a higher sensitivity (96.2%) and specificity (75%) compared to mammography, which showed a sensitivity of (92.3%) and specificity of (50%). Mammography has a lower average dose per patient (2.0 mGy) compared to the effective dose per patient for breast CT scans (1.4 mSv). The total radiation dose for mammography (34 mGy for 17 patients) is lower than the total effective dose for breast CT scans (42 mSv for 30 patients). BCT offers superior diagnostic accuracy for detecting metastasis in asymptomatic breast cancer patients compared to MG. However, the higher radiation dose associated with breast CT necessitates careful consideration of its use, particularly in routine screening.  The results indicate that Breast CT become a important tool in breast cancer screening, especially for larger populations.