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Volpara software is used to assess the breast density of more than 1 million Australian women
annually
WELLINGTON, New Zealand, June 2, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Volpara Health, a Lunit a company and global leader in software for the early detection of breast cancer, today applauded the significant advancement in breast health management with BreastScreen Australia’s new position on breast density reporting. This new guidance recommends that all BreastScreen services in Australia provide breast density information to clients, enhancing awareness and understanding of this critical risk factor.
A Step Toward More Accurate and Personalised Breast Cancer Screening
Volpara’s Scorecard software is utilised to measure the breast density of over 1 million women annually across Australia, including in BreastScreen Victoria and BreastScreen South Australia. This comprehensive, AI-driven approach supports physicians in making consistent, objective assessments, helping to ensure that breast cancer risk is more accurately evaluated for each patient.
Volpara’s volumetric breast density assessment software, including its proprietary Volpara® TruDensity™ AI algorithm, provides consistent and precise breast density measurements. Cleared by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), FDA, Health Canada, and CE-marked in Europe, this technology has been validated in more than 400 scientific articles and research abstracts, underscoring its reliability and accuracy.
“We’ve been collaborating with leading clinicians and researchers worldwide for over a decade to make critical information about breast composition and its link to breast cancer more accessible,” said Craig Hadfield, CEO, Volpara Health. “The new guidelines from BreastScreen Australia validate our focus on applying tech and AI advancements to breast density and are a significant step forward in enhancing the experience and understanding for women and their healthcare providers. We encourage women to contact their local healthcare provider and ask how they assess breast density.”
Understanding Breast Density: A Critical Risk Factor
Breast density is an important factor in both breast cancer detection and risk assessment. It has been linked to an increased risk of developing breast cancer, while also making it more challenging to detect cancer through mammography. In Australia, approximately 40% of women have dense breasts, including 12% with extremely dense breasts. As breast density increases, the accuracy of mammography decreases.
Research published in Radiology reveals that mammography can miss up to 50% of cancers in women with the densest breast tissue. Since both dense breast tissue and tumours appear white on a mammogram, cancers are often concealed, potentially delaying diagnosis. Studies confirm that early detection rates improve significantly when women with very dense breasts receive additional imaging, such as ultrasound or MRI, as part of their regular screening regimen.
The Path Forward: Embracing Personalised Screening
Breast density information is also integrated into several risk models, which helps identify women at higher risk of breast cancer who may benefit from supplemental screening. Volpara Scorecard is the only commercial automated software validated for use in both the Tyrer-Cuzick 8 and CanRisk (BOADICEA) riskmodels, providing consistent and robust breast density measurements. With this new guidance, Volpara is poised to play an essential role in supporting risk assessment and personalised screening in Australia, further advancing the goal of improving outcomes for women.
The importance of personalised screening has also been recognised by other Australian health bodies, with Medicare recently introducing reimbursement for high-risk breast MRI screening based on Tyrer-Cuzick 8 or CanRisk risk assessment. This marks a growing recognition of the need for tailored breast cancer screening strategies that consider individual risk factors, including breast density.
About Volpara Health
Volpara Health is on a mission to save families from cancer with AI-powered software that helps healthcare providers better understand cancer risk, guide personalized care decisions, and recommend additional imaging and interventions. Used in over 3,500 facilities by more than 9,500 technologists worldwide. Volpara’s software impacts nearly 18M patients, supports over 3.6M annual cancer risk assessments, and integrates seamlessly with electronic health records and imaging systems. Volpara helps radiologists quantify dense breast tissue with precision and technologists produce mammograms with optimal positioning, compression, and dose. Volpara software also streamlines operations to ease compliance and accreditation. Volpara, a Lunit company, is headquartered in Wellington, New Zealand, and has an office in Seattle. Volpara is the trusted partner of leading healthcare institutions globally. For more information, visit www.volparahealth.com.
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