Study Shows CAD Mammograms Don’t Offer Improved Cancer Detection
A study[1] published in the JAMA Internal Medicine journal indicated Computer-aided-detection (CAD) for mammography doesn’t improve breast-cancer detection.
In 1998 the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved CAD mammograms despite little evidence the CAD usage improved breast-cancer detection. Medicare and Medicaid services approved payments for the tests in 2002 for CAD mammogram usage that costs over $400 million a year.
Though there was little evidence to support better outcomes using CAD mammograms the use of the technology became widespread in the United States. CAD mammograms make up 90 percent of the mammograms performed in the U.S.
The conclusion of the study was CAD mammograms offered no improvements in diagnostic accuracy and the:
…results suggest that insurers pay more for CAD with no established benefit to women.
Diana S.M. Buist, researcher in the study, said:
“This is a perfect example of something that has taken off without adequate analysis of the harms and benefits.”
On top of providing no improvement in diagnostic accuracy, the study found that radiologists were more likely to overlook cancers when using CAD review compared not using CAD. Radiologists would correctly identify cancer 83% of the time using CAD compared to 90% of the time without using it.
[1] Diagnostic Accuracy of Digital Screening Mammography With and Without Computer-Aided Detection
Tags: anti-cancer, cancer awareness
