Adjunctive technique improves sensitivity, specificity

A new method of computer-aided evaluation makes it easier to differentiate between benign and malignant lesions on MR scans, possibly reducing the number of false positives and unnecessary biopsies.

Other findings include:

• Computer-aided detection is no match for a dedicated breast imaging specialist, according to a large comparative study of 5875 consecutive screening mammograms performed at Yale's Breast Imaging Center.

• Breast MR spectroscopy as an adjunct to breast MR may cut the rate of false positives related to the stage of a woman's menstrual cycle.

• In the Digital Mammographic Imaging Screening Trial (DMIST), 40% of the women over 50 had dense breasts, indicating that digital screening could benefit older as well as younger women.

• DMIST researchers plan to investigate why there was a difference between digital and film-based screening and will also perform a cost-effectiveness study for digital imaging.