This project aims to evaluate the use of mechanical imaging in breast cancer screening with mammography. Mechanical imaging can be used to measure the stiffness of the breast and identify local differences in stress at the surface of the breast. More malignant or aggressive tumours are more stiff compared to benign lesions, and that information has shown in previous studies that the technique could reduce the recall rate and unnecessary biopsies. 

One part of this project was to investigate how the radiation dose is affected by using the mechanical sensor together with digital breast tomosynthesis (3D-mammography). We have evaluated the radiation dose by performing phantom measurements using a clinically used dosemeter and a more experimental dosemeter; NaCl pellets read out by optically stimulated luminescence. The latter technique has, compared to the clinical dosemeter, the possibility of measuring the dose at multiple points over the breast at a low cost.