A detailed breast model and its application for Chinese female breast dose estimation in mammography

The IAEA protocol for breast dosimetry is based on the calculations of Dance which used very simple models of the breast based on the western female data. In order to estimate the dose more precisely in the mammographic examination for the Chinese female, a 3D detailed breast model was constructed. This model contains the detailed structures in the breast, including skin, subcutaneous fat, Cooper's ligaments, and fibro-glandular region containing intra-glandular fat, gland, ductal system, and terminal ductal lobular units. And the size of this breast model was adjusted to represent the characteristic of Chinese female. The glandular tissue conversion coefficients were calculated using this detailed breast model with Monte Carlo code, Geant4. The comparison between the data obtained in this study and the data from Dance was carried out. The discrepancy may come from both the structure and size of the breast models