As the total volume of mammograms in Dubai is increasing consistently, it is crucial to focus on the process of dose optimization by determining dose reference levels for such sensitive radiographic examinations as mammography. This work aimed to determine local diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) for mammography procedures in Dubai at different ranges of breast thickness. A total of 2599 anonymized mammograms were randomly retrieved from a central dose survey database. Mammographic cases for screening women aged from 40 to 69 years were included, while cases of breast implants and breast thickness outside the range of 20–100 mm were excluded. Mean, median, and 75 percentiles were obtained for the mean glandular dose (MGD) distribution of each mammography projection for all compressed breast thickness (CBT) ranges. The local DRLs for mammography in Dubai were found to be between 0.80 mGy and 0.82 mGy for the craniocaudal (CC) projection and between 0.89 mGy and 0.971.8 mGy for the mediolateral oblique (MLO) projection. Local DRLs were proposed according to different breast thicknesses, starting from 20 to 100 mm. All groups of CBT showed a slight difference in MGD values, with higher values in MLO views rather than CC views. The local DRLs in this study were lower than some other Middle Eastern countries and lower than the standard reference levels reported by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) at 3 mGy/view.

Background/Objectives: This study investigated the lifetime attributable risk (LAR) of radiation-induced breast cancer from mammography screening in Dubai. It aimed to explore the relationship between breast thickness, patient age, and the associated radiation dose during mammographic examinations. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 2601 patients aged 40 to 69 across five screening facilities in Dubai’s healthcare system. Due to a low correlation between the mean glandular dose (MGD) and breast thickness, both glandular and non-glandular doses were included in calculations as the organ dose (OD). This comprehensive approach examined the impact of whole breast tissue on risk assessments. Key exposure parameters such as the kilovoltage peak (kVp), milliampere-seconds (mAs), and source-to-skin distance were extracted from the dose survey. Results: Our findings reveal that the organ dose increases with breast thickness, emphasizing the need for dose optimization in denser tissues. The LAR decreases with age across all thickness categories, but higher initial LAR values were seen in younger patients with thicker tissue. This study emphasizes the increased sensitivity of younger women, who usually have denser breast tissue, to radiation-induced cancer risks. Conclusions: Personalized screening protocols considering age and breast thickness are crucial for balancing early cancer detection benefits with radiation risks. Future research should improve mammography protocols, explore alternative methods, and consider generic testing for young high-risk patients to mitigate risks while maintaining diagnostic efficacy.

Background: This study compares system-reported organ doses (ODs) to manually calculated mean glandular doses (MGDs) in mammography across multiple centers and manufacturers in Dubai. Methods: A retrospective study of 2754 anonymized mammograms from six clinics in Dubai were randomly retrieved from a central dose survey database. Organ doses were documented along with other dosimetry information like kVp, mAs, filter, target, compression force, and breast thickness. Mean glandular doses, MGDs, were calculated manually for all the patients using the Dance formula and inferential statistical analyses were run to compare the two figures and verify the factors affecting each. Results: Our study’s analysis revealed that manually calculated mean glandular doses (MGDs) provide a more reliable indicator of radiation exposure than organ doses (ODs) reported by DICOM, particularly in multi-vendor scenarios. Manually calculated MGD values were consistently lower than system-reported ODs (MLO view: 0.96 ± 0.37 mGy vs. 1.38 ± 0.45 mGy; CC view: 0.81 ± 0.33 mGy vs. 1.22 ± 0.38 mGy). Significant differences in both system-reported ODs and manually calculated MGDs were observed across centers (p < 0.001). Strong correlations between system-reported ODs and manually calculated MGDs were found for Siemens equipment (r = 0.923, p < 0.001) but only moderate correlations for GE systems (r = 0.638, p < 0.001). Calculated MGD values were significantly higher for GE equipment compared to Siemens (1.49 ± 0.77 mGy vs. 0.93 ± 0.33 mGy, p < 0.001). Conclusions: This study addresses concerns regarding mammography dosimetry accuracy by demonstrating the superiority of mean glandular doses over DICOM-generated organ doses. These findings empower practitioners to optimize dose levels, ensuring safer and more effective breast cancer screening protocols.