Adding 3D Technologies increases Cancer Detection

Standard digital mammography plays a key role in detecting breast cancer; however, mammography has also come under some criticism because of the false positive results it can produce and over diagnosis of cancer. A new study examined whether adding 3-dimensional technology to the standard digital mammogram could help improve outcomes. “3-D mammography was FDA approved about three years ago it’s been used in practice across the country. We looked to see whether it improved upon some of the limitations that the standard 2-D mammogram has been criticized for.” Dr. Sarah Friedewald and co-authors examined 2D and 3D mammograms of more than 450,000 patients at 13 sites across the country. “When patients were imaged with a 3-D mammogram we found more invasive cancers, the cancers we worry about more frequently than if they were just imaged with a 2D mammogram alone. At the same time, fewer people had to come back for unnecessary testing which creates unnecessary anxiety.” The study appears in the Journal of the American Medical Association.