Improving breast screening for dense breasts
Take part in an interview and help researchers develop a new screening method which will make breast screening for dense breasts for accurate.
What’s the project about?
Dense breast tissue can make breast cancer harder to detect during mammograms. This means that people with dense breast tissue may not be diagnosed as early, which can lead to worse outcomes.
Researchers at UCL are exploring a new method of breast screening which could make it easier to find tumours in dense breasts.
They want to involve people affected by breast cancer in this project to ensure that it’s meeting people’s needs.
Who’s organising it?
Name of project lead: Prof Ferruccio Renzoni
Job title: Professor of Physics
Organisation: University College London
Email address: f.renzoni@ucl.ac.uk
Who can take part?
You can take part if you’re aged 18 or over and have been personally affected by breast cancer.
This includes a diagnosis of a friend or family member, or a personal diagnosis of breast cancer, including
- DCIS
- Stage 1 to 3 primary breast cancer
- Local or regional recurrence of primary breast cancer
- Metastatic breast cancer
They’re especially keen to hear from people with dense breast tissue.
Why do you want me to be involved?
By sharing your perspective, you can help researchers understand the realities of breast cancer screening and diagnosis. You’ll help to shape the new screening technology, which could ultimately improve breast cancer detection, and save lives.
What will you ask me to do?
The researchers would like you to take part in an online interview via Microsoft Teams or over the phone. This will last 45 to 60 minutes and you’ll discuss topics such as
- Experiences of breast cancer screening and diagnosis
- Awareness and understanding of dense breast tissue
- Views on emerging breast cancer screening technologies
- Important outcomes and priorities for patients
The interviews will take place between September and October. They’ll be arranged at a time that works for you.
There will be further opportunities to get involved in the project, if you’d like to, including:
- Taking part in follow-up workshops or focus groups in October and November
- Reviewing documents such as participant information sheets and lay summaries
- Joining an advisory panel to help shape the research as it progresses
How do I get involved?
If you’d like to get involved, or have any questions, please email the team at F.renzoni@ucl.ac.uk. Please also include Sindi Sula at sindi.sula.14@ucl.ac.uk.
They will be in touch with you to let you know the next steps. They’ll also arrange a phone conversation with you to tell you more about the project and to collect some information.
When’s the deadline?
18 September 2026
Get involved
Take part in the interview and share your experience to help researchers develop a new screening method which will make breast screening for dense breasts for accurate.