New Technology May Improve On Mammography
MONDAY, Nov. 28, 2005 (HealthDay News) -- A new technology called digital tomosynthesis shows promise in more accurately detecting breast cancers than conventional film mammography, according to a new U.S. study.
Tomosynthesis obtains digital data that can be viewed in a number of ways, and because radiologists can view the breast in millimeter-thin slices, it minimizes confusion caused by overlying tissue that can otherwise be labeled as a lesion.
The patient's experience using this new technology is much that same as with a standard mammography exam, the researchers add.
This study, done at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center/Dartmouth Medical School in Lebanon, N.H., included 98 women who were recalled for diagnostic imaging after abnormalities were detected on their screening mammograms. Overall, the initial mammography exams showed 112 abnormal findings in the women.
The study authors concluded that about 40 percent of the women would not have been recalled if they'd originally been screened using tomosynthesis and that the new technology was as good, if not better, than diagnostic mammography in 88 percent of patients.
"The results of our preliminary trial suggest that tomosynthesis may decrease false-positive screening mammography findings by half, thereby reducing the number of women who are recalled after screening mammography for a second, more thorough exam," study lead author Dr. Steven Poplack, an associate professor of diagnostic radiology and obstetrics and gynecology, said in a prepared statement.
The findings were to be presented Monday at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America in Chicago.
Poplack explained the appeal of tomosynthesis, which is currently used only in research phase.
"The similarity of tomosynthesis to mammography allows us to build on the current foundation of mammography while improving interpretation. It is both an evolution of mammography technology and revolutionary new technology," he said.
More information
The American Cancer Society has more breast imaging procedures.
