Digital mammography not better than film for all women
Digital imaging devices
for mammography have been approved for use for more than five years but have penetrated
the total market by less than 10 percent. Holding them back from more widespread
use has been their cost and some technical issues, but new data shows that there
is no clear advantage to using digital imaging versus traditional film.
In a review of the results of the digital
mammography imaging screening trial, Dr. D. David Dershaw of Memorial Sloan-Kettering
Cancer Center in New York compares the technical and clinical data regarding both
film and digital technologies.
He noted that several subgroups of
patients in the trial, including women less than 50 years old, who are pre- or perimenopausal,
or who have denser breast tissue, had better results with digital imaging than with
film. Furthermore, women with opposite characteristics seemed to have better results
with film-based mammography. However, there is no data so far that enables comparison
of different brands of digital mammography equipment.
The author describes the advantages
and disadvantages of film and digital imaging techniques, the roles of image display
and interpretation, clinical experiences with digital and film equipment, and possible
future applications of digital mammography technology. He argues that women should
primarily consider the quality of a facility’s mammography service —
not which technology it uses — when choosing where to go for testing. And
those women whose facility offers both services should seek advice on which imaging
technology is better suited for them. (
The Breast Journal, Vol. 12, No. 2,
pp. 99-102.)
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