CAD and Mammography -- An Update on a Rocky Marriage

Background: Computer-aided detection (CAD) as an adjunct to radiologist interpretation of mammography has been around for a little while now, with multiple studies yielding mixed results. A safe overall conclusion that can be made is that CAD may detect more cancers but results in a higher recall rate. Objective: To assess the efficacy of CAD in detecting cancers missed by the radiologist at screening. Design/Methods: In this observer study, 300 cases performed at a single institution were originally retrospectively identified as per an institutional review board-approved protocol. Each case consisted of a standard 4-view screening mammogram, and prior examinations were also obtained when available. Of 300 cases, 69 cancers were present in 66 women; all of those cancers had been missed on initial interpretation but were determined to be retrospectively identifiable by at least 1 of 2 radiologists. The remaining cases consisted of normal mammograms. A total of 8 radiologists were task more...