Switch to Digital Mammography Leads to Increased Cancer Detection Rates

Researchers found that there was a significant increase in the number of breast cancers detected following the switch from film-screen to digital mammography. The number of cancers detected prior to the switch averaged between 4.1-4.5 cancers per 1,000 women imaged.

Following the switch, the cancer detection rate increased to 7.9 cancers per 1,000 women imaged and has remained high. Breast cancer detection rates were evaluated using an auditing system.

“Surprisingly, sixty to seventy percent of screening facilities in the United States are still using film-screen mammography. This is a disadvantage because digital mammography offers considerable advantages over film-screen mammography,” he said.

“I would certainly encourage patients who are being screened to look for facilities that have digital technology because it is faster and has a higher cancer detection rate. There is a need for more studies like ours to confirm our findings,” said Dr. Vernacchia.

This study appears in the August issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology. For a copy of the full study, please contact Heather Curry via email at hcurry@acr-arrs.org or at 703-390-9822.

About ARRS

The American Roentgen Ray Society (ARRS) was founded in 1900 and is the oldest radiology society in the United States. Its monthly journal, the American Journal of Roentgenology, began publication in 1906. Radiologists from all over the world attend the ARRS annual meeting to participate in instructional courses, scientific paper presentations and scientific and commercial exhibits related to the field of radiology. The Society is named after the first Nobel Laureate in Physics, Wilhelm Röentgen, who discovered the x-ray in 1895.

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