Digitial mammography superior to film screen mammography in early detection of breast cancer

In a study conducted by the National Expert and Training Centre for Breast Cancer Screening in the Netherlands, digital mammography was able to detect high-grade ductal carcinoma (DCIS)58.5% of time, compared to a 50.5% detection rate with traditional film mammography. Researchers in the U.S. also support digital screening, particularly in women under 50 with dense breasts. Of interest is the varied screening approaches between the Netherlands and the United States: "the Dutch focus is on a balance between detection, recall and false-positives...the U.S. focus...is more on high detection rates, which means higher recall and false-positive rates."

For more information on these findings, click here.

Study mentioned: Bluekens AM et al. Comparison of digital screening mammography and screen-film mammography in the early detection of clinically relevant cancers: A multicenter study. Radiology 2012 Oct. 2 [Epub ahead of print]. PMID 23033499