DBT surveillance screening after breast cancer treatment effective

Surveillance screening via digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) immediately after breast cancer treatment is effective, a study published on December 20 in the American Journal of Roentgenology reported.  Researchers led by Dan Do from Massachusetts General Hospital reported that while the abnormal interpretation rate was higher during the year after diagnosis compared to subsequent years, it remained at less than 10% in all years of their six-year study.“The results support the study institution’s protocol for patients with a prior breast cancer diagnosis of returning immediately to screening mammography with DBT and can be used to inform surveillance mammography guidelines for this high-risk patient population,” Do and co-authors wrote.  Surveillance mammography is employed after breast cancer treatment. However, there is a lack of standardization in surveillance protocols, with some practices recommending diagnostic mammography for a certain number of years or indefinitely. Others, meanwhile, recommend returning immediately to screening.  The Do team evaluated performance metrics from screening DBT in women who resume screening mammography immediately after breast cancer treatment, based on the number of years since the breast cancer diagnosis. It included retrospective data from DBT exams performed between 2013 and 2019. In total, the researchers included data from 8,090 women with an average age of 65 years who had a prior breast cancer diagnosis. This also inclu...
Source: AuntMinnie.com Headlines - Category: Radiology Authors: Tags: Womens Imaging Subspecialties Breast Breast Imaging Source Type: news