False Positive Mammograms and Detection Controlled Estimation. Abstract,Executive Summary and Final Report

摘要

Mammography is the dominant method of initial screening for the detection ofbreast cancer in women. However, mammograms have their own costs. These costs come in large part for the incidences of 'false positives.' Women whose mammograms obtain false positive readings are then asked to receive further tests. Further tests involve significant costs. While estimates vary, it appears that up to 10 percent of all mammograms fall into the false positive category. Given these costs, the medical profession has considered reducing its recommendations for the usage of mammograms. This project examined the incidence of false positive mammograms using detection controlled estimation (DCE), together with an extensive database from a large hospital-based mammography program in a medium-sized southern city. Study results imply that access to a previous mammogram greatly reduces the incidence of false positive readings. In addition, the results indicate that the availability of a previous mammogram reduces false positives by between 50 and 80 percent. These results do not support the belief in the existence of a trade-off between the false positive rate and the false negative rate.