Dear AuntMinnie Member,
The breast imaging community continues to hammer away at the controversial 2009 decision by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) to raise the age at which breast screening should begin. But is anyone outside of radiology listening?
At last week's RSNA 2012 meeting, researchers from Thomas Jefferson University presented data indicating that the growth rate of mammography screening began falling the year after the USPSTF issued its decision. Mammography screening had been growing at about a 1% rate prior to 2009; the next year it fell by more than 4%.
In a related study, researchers from New York City found that 20% of cancers discovered in a review of more than 43,000 screening exams were in women in their 40s -- who would not have received screening if the new USPSTF guidelines were strictly followed. You'll find the article by clicking here.
Also from the RSNA meeting is a story on the usefulness of breast ultrasound in screening women with dense breast tissue. The topic has received widespread attention in recent months; learn what Connecticut radiologists had to say about it by clicking here, or visit our Women's Imaging Digital Community at women.auntminnie.com.
RSNA attendance falls
If attendance seemed lower to you at last week's RSNA 2012 show, you weren't imagining things -- there really were fewer people stuffed into the halls of Chicago's McCormick Place.
In preliminary figures released by RSNA, traffic through Friday stood just shy of 53,000, down 9% compared to the 59,000 who attended the 2011 edition of the conference.
What caused the drop? Some of it could be due to the struggling U.S. radiology industry, but a major factor could be RSNA's policy change for this year's meeting that imposed registration fees on some attendees who previously were allowed in as guests. Get the rest of the details by clicking here.
By now you've probably come up for air from last week's meeting. If you're looking for a comprehensive review of everything that happened in Chicago, be sure to check out our RADCast @ RSNA special section, including a new tradition, an unconventional take on the RSNA show by Dr. Sam Friedman, also known as the Dalai Lama of PACS. You'll find that story by clicking here, or visit the RADCast at radcast.auntminnie.com.
