A silver lining for mammography?

Dear AuntMinnie.com Member,

National Mammography Day will be a bittersweet occasion in the U.S. this year. The annual event is aimed at increasing participation in breast screening programs. But this year's observance, on October 18, caps a year of negative publicity for screening mammography, in forms ranging from academic studies that question its effectiveness to lay-press articles that fault its implementation.

Clearly, screening mammography stands at a crossroads. While academics debate its value, imaging centers question their ability to provide the service without going broke, and future radiologists shy away from mammography as a career choice. Caught in the eye of the storm, women wonder if they should schedule screening exams.

But there could be a silver lining. U.S. mammography facilities are beginning to look abroad for lessons on providing high-quality mammography screening profitably. Contributing writer Robert Bruce discusses these efforts in an article we're featuring in our Women’s Imaging Digital Community, at http://women.auntminnie.com.

Facilities in Europe and Canada are finding success with the "Swedish model," which calls for screening services to be offered at local sites through economical means such as mobile mammography units. Images are then sent to high-volume central reading centers, where highly qualified, experienced readers review the images.

In the U.S., imaging centers are working to maximize quality and efficiency. Some are leaning on new technologies -- such as computer-aided detection (CAD) and full-field digital mammography (FFDM) -- while others have found that simply restructuring their practices can help them meet the enormous challenges of breast screening.

Much remains to be done, in areas such as malpractice reform, and in the development of new technologies as adjuncts to x-ray-based screening. Mammography advocates have yet to score a knockout blow in their ongoing debate with screening’s critics. But there is new hope that mammography’s crisis could be resolved in the coming years, to the benefit of both patients and providers.