Dear AuntMinnie Member,
While comparison with prior studies is a critical aspect of mammography interpretation, examining analog exams during full-field digital mammography (FFDM) reading can be challenging. Digitizing those prior films, however, is a worthwhile endeavor, according to researchers from George Washington University Medical Center in Washington, DC.
In a study published in the June issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology, Dr. Rachel Brem and colleagues found that using digitized priors trimmed interpretation time by about a third compared with using analog priors. And similar results were found for all readers, regardless of their level of experience.
For AuntMinnie.com staff writer Kate Madden Yee's article on the research, click here or visit our Women's Imaging Digital Community at women.auntminnie.com.
Image-guided interstitial therapy
In women with augmented breasts, whole-breast radiation can be a disastrous breast cancer treatment, leading to painful capsular contraction in as many as two-thirds of patients and implant failure in one-quarter. However, image-guided interstitial brachytherapy may offer a better choice for these patients who pursue breast conservation therapy, according to researchers from Arizona Breast Cancer Specialists in Scottsdale.
In a study presented at last week's American Brachytherapy Society annual meeting in San Diego, the Arizona team found that the technique yielded cosmetic outcomes that were judged to be uniformly excellent to good without causing a single implant rupture.
Marty Graham has our coverage of the study, which you can find here or by checking in on our Radiation Oncology Digital Community at radiationoncology.auntminnie.com.
Brian Casey is on assignment and will return May 27.
