Mammogram, ultrasound finds cancer better, but more false-positives

William Atkins
Wednesday, 14 May 2008 20:33

Science - Health

The researchers concluded the following: “Adding a single screening ultrasound to mammography will yield an additional 1.1 to 7.2 cancers per 1000 high-risk women, but it will also substantially increase the number of false positives.”

The results of the study were published in the May 14, 2008 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

The title of the JAMA article is “Combined Screening With Ultrasound and Mammography vs Mammography Alone in Women at Elevated Risk of Breast Cancer.”

The other researchers in the study included: Jeffrey D. Blume, Jean B. Cormack, Ellen B. Mendelson, Daniel Lehrer, Marcela Böhm-Vélez, Etta D. Pisano, Roberta A. Jong, W. Phil Evans, Marilyn J. Morton, Mary C. Mahoney, Linda Hovanessian Larsen, Richard G. Barr, Dione M. Farria, Helga S. Marques, and Karan Boparai.

An editorial in JAMA noted that ultrasound is not frequently used in the United States as a compliment to mammography because it is costly and has a high frequency of false-positive readings.

However, the editorial also stated that the use of both methods has been verified in the past as providing better cancer screening for women.

Additional information is found in the CNN Money article “Ultrasound Finds Breast Cancer, Triggers False Alarms –Study.”