Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Spotting Breast Cancer May Not Be Helped By Computer Tech Used In Most Mammograms, Study Finds
The Associated Press: Study: Breast Cancer Detection Not Better With Computer Aid
Computer-assisted detection used in most U.S. mammograms adds no benefit to breast cancer screening while substantially increasing costs, a large study suggests. Some previous research said computer technology could serve almost as a second set of eyes for doctors. The technique uses special software to highlight suspicious-looking areas on mammogram images that radiologists who interpret the scans may have missed. The doctors then take another look before making a determination. (Tanner, 9/28)
Reuters: Computer-Aided Mammography Might Not Help Spot Breast Cancer
Computer-aided detection (CAD) marks areas of concern on mammogram readouts that radiologists might otherwise miss. It was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 1998 and became common after the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services increased reimbursement for the technology in 2002, the authors write. (Doyle, 9/28)
Bloomberg: Computer-Aided Mammograms Fail To Catch More Breast Cancers
Breast cancer screening performed with computer-aided technology from companies like Hologic Inc. and Icad Inc., designed to boost the accuracy of mammograms, failed to find more tumors, according to a study that suggests its widespread use should be curtailed. The technology, approved in the U.S. in 1998, is used in 90 percent of mammograms performed each year at a cost of more than $400 million, according to lead researcher Constance Lehman, director of breast imaging and co-director of the Avon Foundation Comprehensive Breast Evaluation Center at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. That should end, she said. (Cortez and Tracer, 9/28)
