Dear Women's Imaging Insider,
Mammography is making headlines again this week, and not in a good way, at least for backers of breast screening. A new study published July 17 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute claimed that there is no evidence that screening reduced breast cancer mortality in a comparison of counties in Sweden that were among the first to begin screening programs. Learn more by clicking here.
But the research is already being challenged. Some mammography backers are pointing to what they say are flaws in the study's methodology, such as its use of an observational study design. Find out what noted mammography researcher Dr. László Tabár had to say about the research in this Second Opinion.
In other news, automated breast ultrasound (ABUS) has shown itself to be effective for finding cancers in dense breast tissue that mammography might miss. The technology has been cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a diagnostic adjunct to mammography, but it hasn't yet been cleared as a screening modality in women with dense breasts.
Researchers from Nova Southeastern University in Florida believe that should change. In a study published in this month's Journal of Diagnostic Medical Sonography, they share results from a pilot study that show comparable reliability between ABUS and MRI -- the other modality that has proved sensitive to cancer in dense tissue and can be used for screening.
And, the researchers argue, because ultrasound is less expensive and less invasive than MRI, it could offer practical advantages in a screening environment. To find out more, read this issue's Insider Exclusive.
Once you've read our feature, take a look at what else is going on in the Women's Imaging Digital Community:
- Learn how a shorter radiation therapy regimen for breast cancer might be just as effective as a longer course of treatment.
- Read how the variation of density in a woman's breast could be as important as the density itself in determining her cancer risk.
- Check out a recent study that found that screening mammography use has declined among women in their 40s.
- Find out how well technologist-performed handheld ultrasound has done in the wake of Connecticut's breast density laws.
As always, if you have a comment, report, or article idea to share about any aspect of women's imaging, I invite you to contact me.
