The Radiologist's Role in Improving DBT Access Equity
Radiologists may not order a DBT exam for African American patients, but they can participate in improving access to the screening.
African American women have significantly less access to digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) that do their white counterparts, according a study published recently in the Journal of the American College of Radiology.
Even though DBT improves cancer detection and reduces recall rates, researchers from PennMedicine found that, based on their study population of more than 385,000 women, only 44 percent of African American women undergo DBT. Among Asian and white women, the rates of 63 percent and 61 percent, respectively.
This inequity in access presents a significant problem because African American women are more likely to be diagnosed with more aggressive forms of breast cancer at younger ages. Having easier, more consistent access to could greatly improve their outcomes.
Although radiologists and mammographers do not order DBT exams for these women, they do have a role to play in improve access and reducing the inequity, said Linda Blount, MPH, president and chief executive officer for Black Women’s Health Imperative, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving health and wellbeing for African American women and girls.
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.
