Better Accuracy Reading Mammograms

Ivanhoe Newswire
Monday, January 8, 2007; 12:00 AM

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Two is better than one when it comes to reading mammograms. A new study reveals comparing a woman's past and current mammogram can greatly enhance the accuracy of the results.

Comparing past mammograms was routinely done with film-based screenings, but now with digital mammography it's been hard to continue. Researchers from Radboud University Nijmegan Medical Center in the Netherlands conducted a study to find out if comparing two mammograms makes a difference.

For the study, radiologists used digital displays to read 160 mammograms twice. They read them once alone and once with a prior mammogram.

Study authors report having two mammograms to compare did not detect more cancer cases. However, the number of false positives went down 44 percent when a prior screening mammogram was also reviewed.

Researchers conclude inspecting prior mammograms with every new mammogram could significantly improve the accuracy and help more women avoid worrying over a false alarm.

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SOURCE: Radiology, 2007;242:70-77