Should the carbon footprint of imaging be considered to ensure an effective, sustainable supplementary breast screening strategy for women with dense breasts?
4 affiliations
- 1ASydney Health Literacy Lab, Sydney School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, NSW, Australia.BWiser Healthcare, Sydney School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, NSW, Australia.
- 2BWiser Healthcare, Sydney School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, NSW, Australia.CThe Daffodil Centre, The University of Sydney, and Cancer Council NSW, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
- 3BWiser Healthcare, Sydney School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, NSW, Australia.DHealthy Environments and Lives (HEAL) Global Research Centre, Health Research Institute, Faculty of Health, University of Canberra, Canberra, ACT, Australia.
- 4CThe Daffodil Centre, The University of Sydney, and Cancer Council NSW, Sydney, NSW, Australia.ESydney School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Abstract
Breast density is an independent risk factor for breast cancer and reduces the sensitivity of mammography, increasing the chance of a missed breast cancer. Notifying women of their breast density aims to increase their awareness about their breast cancer risk and support discussions about supplemental screening (e.g. ultrasound or magnetic resonance imaging) with their healthcare providers. Although supplemental screening may improve cancer detection, it also brings challenges, including lack of international consensus on how best to manage screening in women with dense breasts. The implementation of breast density notification and supplemental screening will significantly impact global screening programs, and provides an opportunity to re-evaluate screening pathways, not only in terms of benefits and harms, but also environmental sustainability. In this perspective, we discuss the benefits and harms of supplemental screening for women with dense breasts, including the carbon footprint of screening, and considerations for clinicians, consumers and policymakers.
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BibTeX
@article{isautier2026should,
title = {{Should the carbon footprint of imaging be considered to ensure an effective, sustainable supplementary breast screening strategy for women with dense breasts?}},
author = {Jennifer Isautier and Nehmat Houssami and Alexandra Barratt and Kirsten McCaffery and Alison Pearce and Brooke Nickel},
journal = {Public Health Research \& Practice},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.1071/pu26031},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1071/pu26031},
note = {CC BY-NC},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Should the carbon footprint of imaging be considered to ensure an effective, sustainable supplementary breast screening strategy for women with dense breasts?
AU - Jennifer Isautier
AU - Nehmat Houssami
AU - Alexandra Barratt
AU - Kirsten McCaffery
AU - Alison Pearce
AU - Brooke Nickel
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/05
JO - Public Health Research & Practice
DO - 10.1071/pu26031
UR - https://doi.org/10.1071/pu26031
AB - Breast density is an independent risk factor for breast cancer and reduces the sensitivity of mammography, increasing the chance of a missed breast cancer. Notifying women of their breast density aims to increase their awareness about their breast cancer risk and support discussions about supplemental screening (e.g. ultrasound or magnetic resonance imaging) with their healthcare providers. Although supplemental screening may improve cancer detection, it also brings challenges, including lack of international consensus on how best to manage screening in women with dense breasts. The implementation of breast density notification and supplemental screening will significantly impact global screening programs, and provides an opportunity to re-evaluate screening pathways, not only in terms of benefits and harms, but also environmental sustainability. In this perspective, we discuss the benefits and harms of supplemental screening for women with dense breasts, including the carbon footprint of screening, and considerations for clinicians, consumers and policymakers.
SN - 2204-2091
ER -