This poster is published under an
open license. Please read the
disclaimer for further details.
Keywords:
Breast, Mammography, Observer performance, Cancer
Authors:
N. Karssemeijer1, R. Hupse1, G. J. den Heeten1, M. Lobbes2, R. M. Mann1; 1Nijmegen/NL, 2Maastricht, LB/NL
DOI:
10.1594/ecr2014/C-0358
Conclusion
In the United States,
breast cancer screening typically comprises annual mammography and single reading with CAD,
whereas European guidelines recommend bi-ennial mammography with independent double reading.
Double interpretation of mammograms is a proven,
effective strategy to improve cancer detection rates [6].
The significant improvement in sensitivity that was observed in this study (for up to 12 readers) is in agreement with previous work [7],
and indicates that there is wide scope for improving detection rates.
The benefits of additional readers on sensitivity was more pronounced in dense cases,
suggesting that tailored screening based on breast density has the potential to improve breast cancer detection rates for this population of women.
The allocation of multiple readers to mammograms that may be difficult to interpret offers a relatively simple and effective approach for dealing with dense breasts in screening mammography; especially with automated density assessment systems and density-based workflow tools.
It should be noted though,
that this work was restricted to cancers that are retrospectively visible.
Therefore the proposed method can only partly solve the problem.
To detect cancers in dense breasts that are mammographically occult,
additional screening modalities are required.