Ruth Pape

Research Organisation: School of Medical and Applied Sciences
Field of Research: Medical and Health Sciences
Supervisor(s): Professor Phillip Ebrall; Dr. Kelly Spuur; Mrs Carolyn Falconi
Student Type: Masters by Research

Contact Details

Phone: 0431012802
Email: ruth.pape@cqumail.com

Research Details

Thesis Name: Breast Parenchymal Patterns of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women attending BreastScreen New South Wales Northern Rivers

Thesis Abstract:

Breast tissues vary in every woman owing to the composition of parenchyma types. BPPs refer to variations of breast tissue density as seen on a mammogram. They reflect the exact breast tissues in a woman and can be assessed. Literature review demonstrates that the variation of breast tissue density acts as a strong predictor of an increased risk of developing breast cancer. In addition, dense breast tissues decrease the ability of a radiologist to visualize breast cancers on a mammogram. The sensitivity of mammography is also reduced in detecting breast cancers in dense breast tissues which may lead to increase mortality and morbidity in women. Breast cancer incidence in a group of women can be related to their breast tissue composition. Studies have been undertaken in other ethnic groups to verify this assumption and have produced positive outcomes. However, no studies have been undertaken to date on the BPPs of the Aboriginal and TSI women in Australia. Therefore, to inform the current literature by setting a baseline for future studies on BPPs and breast tissue density in the Australian Indigenous women, I propose to document the distribution of BPPs using the Tabar classification system in Aboriginal and TSI women attending BreastScreen NSW Northern Rivers. This will allow further research to include a larger sample of the Indigenous population to be undertaken to correlate the findings of this project and examine other potential risk factors that may influence BPPs.

Why my research is important/Impacts:

My research is important because I propose to document the distribution of BPPs using the Tabar classification system in Aboriginal and TSI women attending BreastScreen NSW Northern Rivers. This study will allow further research to include a larger sample of the Australian Indigenous population to be undertaken to correlate the findings of this project and examine other potential risk factors that may influence BPPs in this population. Given the significance of BPPs and its relation to an increased risk of developing breast cancer, it is of great importance that no research has been undertaken to date on the BPPs of the Aboriginal and TSI women. Two major issues emerged from the literature review on Indigenous Australian women regarding mammogram screening and breast cancer incidence. The primary issue concerns the breast cancer incidence (BCI) rate. The BCI rate in this group of women is lower than the non-indigenous Australians. Incidence rates of invasive breast cancer were significantly lower for Indigenous Australians than non-Indigenous Australians. The second issue concerns the low incidence of breast cancer diagnosis in this group of women. It can be put forwarded that this may be due to the reduced number of Aboriginal and TSI women participating in screening mammography. From the ‘mammography screening’ point of view, two questions need to be answered in this study to inform the literature. Firstly, what is the current distribution of BPPs of Aboriginal and TSI women attending BreastScreen NSW Northern Rivers? A study of the Northern Rivers indigenous population would provide a reliable sample for data collection and statistical analysis....

Funding/Scholarship: Australian Agency for International Development (AUSAID)