Digital mammography has benefits in breast cancer screening

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

According to new research, digital mammography is better than film mammography for women with dense breasts or those under 50 years.
With digital mammography, the contrast of the image can be adjusted, which should make it easier to visualize dense regions of the breast. But previous studies have failed to show that it is better than the more conventional film mammography.

In a new study, researchers at the University of North Carolina screened nearly 50,000 women for breast cancer using both digital and conventional mammography. Overall, both techniques were similar in their ability to identify breast cancer. But digital mammography was better at picking up a cancer in younger women, those with dense breasts and pre- and peri-menopausal women. This may encourage wider use of digital mammography but it has to be borne in mind that the costs of the newer technique are greater.

Source
New England Journal of Medicine 16th September 2005

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