Computer helps detect small breast cancers

	Tweet

A computer-aided detection system can help radiologists spot small breast tumors that may otherwise be missed, results of a study show. The system detected 92 percent of cancers that were 5 millimeters in size or smaller.

“The mammographic detection of small breast cancers is most challenging,” Dr. Rachel F. Brem, director of breast imaging at George Washington University in Washington, DC, and colleagues note in the American Journal of Roentgenology.

They assessed the ability of a computer-aided detection system to detect breast cancers that had been confirmed by biopsy. The study population included 201 women with various types of breast tumors.

Overall, the computer-aided detection system detected 89 percent of the breast cancers. In terms of cancer size, the system detected 92 percent of cancers 5 millimeters or smaller in size, 94 percent of cancers between 11 and 15 millimeters, and 80 percent of those between 16 and 20 millimeters.

The computer-aided detection system is a “useful tool for the improved detection of breast cancer, regardless of the size of the cancer,” the authors conclude.

SOURCE: American Journal of Roentgenology, March 2005.

RELATED STORIES:
Genentech drug helps post-surgery breast cancer   Laser zaps liver tumors in breast cancer patients   Breast cancer diagnosis may not affect job   Gene test can predict breast cancer chemo effect   New tool predicts benefit of mammograms   Many Women Still Don’t Get Annual Mammograms   Genes tied to racial differences in breast cancer   Promo for breast cream causes uproar in Thailand   Low thyroid activity may lower breast cancer risk   Tamoxifen doesn’t alter endometrial cancer outcome   Hormones may tie caffeine to cancer risk   Mammograms not helpful for most women over 80

Comments

[ + Post Your Own ]

Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Armenian Medical Network's stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.

There are no comments for this entry yet. [ + Comment here + ]