The Role of Mobile Van Mammography Supported by Teleradiology in the Early Diagnosis of Breast Cancer: An Innovative Approach to a Growing Public Health Problem

Abstract

Cancer is a leading cause of death in women, accounting for 14% of cancers in Indian women. Reduction in mortality rates is contingent upon early diagnosis. Mammography is established as a diagnostic modality that ensures early detection of breast cancer. With the aim of promoting early diagnosis of breast cancer. The Poornasudha Cancer Foundation, a registered non-profit organization and Teleradiology Solutions, Bangalore, a teleradiology service provider collaborated together. ‘MOM Express’, (Mobile on-site Mammography) a bus equipped with mammography equipment provides mammography facilities to the women of rural and urban areas of Karnataka. DICOM images of mammograms were electronically transmitted by technologists from the Poornasudha mammography van to experts at a teleradiology reporting hub in Bangalore. Over a period of 4 years beginning September 2018, 2888 studies were interpreted via teleradiology. Women from rural and urban areas of Karnataka were included in the study. The mean age of the participants was 49.80 years (8.83 SD) confidence interval CI (95%) (50.12–49.47). The mean turn-around-time (TAT) for the report to reach the Poornasudha mammography vans once the images had been received was 12.74 hours (CI 95%: 13.15 – 12.34). The importance of mammography lies in the early diagnosis of breast cancer at an early stage of the disease before it has progressed with distant metastasis, which allows for an effective treatment strategy with an enhanced prognosis for long-term survival. In the setting of radiologist shortages, teleradiology provides a solution that allows for timely reporting of mammograms in a screening environment. This study highlights the role of teleradiology in the early detection of breast cancer in India.