Breast ultrasound's cancer detection rate similar to DBT, mammo

Monday, November 27 | 3:00 p.m.-3:10 p.m. | SSE01-01 | Arie Crown Theater

Screening breast ultrasound's cancer detection rate in women with dense tissue is comparable to that of screening mammography and digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT), according to a study conducted at Brown University.

The findings could help practices better determine which modality to use in women with dense tissue who present for additional imaging, wrote a team led by Dr. Elizabeth Dibble.

To compare the cancer yield of dense-breast ultrasound screening following digital mammography versus DBT, Dibble's group reviewed 3,187 breast ultrasound scans performed between October 2014 and September 2016. Of these, 1,434 were performed after digital mammography and 1,672 were performed after DBT.

The researchers found no significant difference in screening ultrasound's additional cancer detection rate following digital mammography versus DBT: The rate was 3.5 cancers per 1,000 women screened after mammography, and it was 3.0 cancers per 1,000 women screened after DBT.

"Knowing that the cancer yield of screening ultrasound is similar for prior DBT plus mammography may help inform clinical practice, as questions abound about whether DBT is sufficient supplemental screening for women with dense breast tissue," they concluded.