CAD systems prove valuable as second readers in mammography

Jun 12, 2000

Computer-assisted diagnosis can reduce the risk of missing a breast cancer on a mammography film by more than 50%, according to the latest report by leading researchers in the field.

"We believe the increasingly positive results with computer-assisted diagnosis demonstrate it can serve as a 'second opinion' for traditional screening mammograms," said Kunio Doi, professor of radiology at the University of Chicago, speaking last week in Atlanta at a breast cancer research meeting sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense.

CAD systems scan digitized mammograms and use sophisticated software algorithms to highlight areas of microcalcification or increased mass that are sometimes missed by even experienced mammogram readers, Doi said. The computer completes its tasks about 10 seconds, he said.

The computer can't replace the radiologist or find tumors that are invisible on the mammogram, Doi noted. But it can help the radiologist by pointing out suspicious areas, especially in the mammograms of young women whose dense breast tissue may obscure signs of cancer.

In the study, Doi and colleagues used a computer-assisted diagnostic prototype to review the mammograms of 12,670 women who received routine breast cancer screening. Of those, 79 developed breast cancer, and 23 of those cancers were missed by the radiologist. When the computer went through the charts, it pointed out 12 of the tumors the doctors originally missed.

By Edward Susman
AuntMinnie.com contributing writer
June 13, 2000

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