Screening Mammography: Which Factors Foretell Accuracy?

Each year, almost 30 million women undergo screening mammography in the U.S. Because clinicians and women usually choose facilities rather than individual radiologists when arranging screening mammograms, understanding how facility characteristics affect accuracy is important. Investigators analyzed survey data from 44 facilities in three geographically disparate U.S. regions. The 128 participating radiologists accounted for more than 200,000 patients, more than 360,000 screens, and almost 2000 breast cancer diagnoses. Mammograms were considered positive if they were highly suggestive of malignancy or if additional imaging or evaluation was recommended. For each screening mammogram, investigators determined whether breast cancer was diagnos…