Digital Mammography as a Screening Tool in Korea

• Main Authors: Soo Yeon Song, Seri Hong, Jae Kwan Jun
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: The Korean Society of Radiology 2021-01-01
• Series: 대한영상의학회지
• Subjects: breast neoplasms; early detection of cancer; mammography
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.3348/jksr.2021.0004

More than 4 million women undergo breast cancer (BC) screening with mammography each year in Korea. Digital mammography (DM) was introduced in 2000, and it has been reported to have a higher diagnostic accuracy than screen-film mammography (SFM) or computed radiography (CR) in women with dense breasts. According to a study using data from the National Cancer Screening Program for BC, the diagnostic accuracy of DM was higher than those of SFM and CR, regardless of age, breast density, and screening round. Currently, despite high supply rate among OECD countries, the distribution of DM equipment is approximately 35% in Korea. For quick replacement with DM, it will be necessary to improve its fee for the National Health Insurance and support an educational program for radiologists. In addition, efforts should be made to increase the accessibility of DM.