ABSTRACT
Breast imaging technology is actually not as old as many people think, having been available for just over 50 years. ™e œrst practical technology dedicated to breast imaging was developed in 1960 (Egan 1960), and the œrst commercial x-ray units dedicated to breast imaging only became available in the late 1960s (Gold 1990). One of the œrst mammography studies (Strax et al. 1973) in the 1960s was the Health Insurance Program of New York Project (HIP) with over 60,000 women being enrolled. Subjects had either four consecutive years of screening mammography
or traditional standard care (e.g., physical examination). ™e women who had yearly screening mammography had a 29% mortality reduction at 9 years and a 23% mortality reduction at 18 years. Screening decreased mortality, and the morbidity associated with a diagnosis of breast cancer was reduced. By 1976 screening mammography became standard practice.
