New Website Addresses Breast Density Notification
New site helps answer questions regarding breast density notification, and efficacy, benefits, and harms of supplementary screening tests.
A new website can help clinicians navigate challenges introduced by the breast density notification laws, according to an article published in the journal Radiology.
On April 1, 2013, it became mandatory for physicians in California to notify, in writing, patients with dense breast tissue about their screening options.
“The legislation was prompted by breast cancer advocacy groups motivated to educate women regarding the limitations of mammography,” Jafi A. Lipson, MD, said in a release.
Lipson, an assistant professor of radiology at Stanford University School of Medicine in California, and colleagues from the California Breast Density Information group (CBDIG) developed the website. It’s an online document that answers frequently asked questions about the efficacy, benefits, and harm of supplementary screening tests.
Dense breast tissue can mask tumors, but the California law does not take into account the varying risk levels of individual patients, such as women who have the BRCA genetic mutation. One of the issues involved in additional breast cancer screening is the risk of increased false positives and benign breast biopsies, which could expose some patients to more harm than good.
Increased cost is another concern.
“While additional screening for women with extremely dense breasts could prove beneficial, supplemental screening of the approximately 40 percent of California women with heterogeneously dense breasts would result in a very substantial additional cost to the healthcare system,” Lipson pointed out.
AI-Initiated Recalls After Screening Mammography Demonstrate Higher PPV for Breast Cancer
March 18th 2025While recalls initiated by one of two reviewing radiologists after screening mammography were nearly 10 percent higher than recalls initiated by an AI software, the AI-initiated recalls had an 85 percent higher positive predictive value for breast cancer, according to a new study.
ECR Mammography Study: Pre-Op CEM Detects 34 Percent More Multifocal Masses than Mammography
February 28th 2025In addition to contrast-enhanced mammography (CEM) demonstrating over a 90 percent detection rate for multifocal masses, researchers found that no significant difference between histological measurements and CEM, according to study findings presented at the European Congress of Radiology.
Study: Mammography AI Leads to 29 Percent Increase in Breast Cancer Detection
February 5th 2025Use of the mammography AI software had a nearly equivalent false positive rate as unassisted radiologist interpretation and resulted in a 44 percent reduction in screen reading workload, according to findings from a randomized controlled trial involving over 105,000 women.
