Comparison of mammography and breast infrared imaging: sensitivity,specificity, false negatives, false positives, positive predictive valueand negative predictive value

摘要

Breast infrared imaging (IRI) for detection of breast cancer hasbeen unfairly maligned as having unacceptably high false positive andfalse negative rates. IRI actually has statistical performancecharacteristics that are similar to mammography. The false positive rateof 14% is about twice as high as mammography but surgical interventionis not possible (no increase in invasive procedures). Also, the falsenegatives of IRI do not hinder the detection of breast cancer byphysical exam, mammography and ultrasound. Finally, the ability of IRIto predict who will develop breast cancer is not appreciated and IRIresults should be used to select patients for prevention trials