Ongoing education betters mammography interpretation

(HealthDay)—Regular education can improve radiologists' performance in detection of breast cancer from mammography, according to a study published online April 6 in the Journal of Medical Imaging and Radiation Oncology.

Wasfi I. Suleiman, from the University of Sydney, and colleagues assessed whether radiologists who regularly undertake education in the form of the Breast Reader Assessment Strategy (BREAST) demonstrate any changes in mammography interpretation performance over time. Fourteen radiologists independently assessed a year-specific BREAST mammographic test-set annually from 2011 to 2013.

The researchers found that significant increases were noted in mean sensitivity, specificity, location sensitivity, and Jack-knife Free-Response Receiver Operating Characteristic Figure of Merit (JAFROC FOM) between 2011 and 2012. Significant improvements were seen in mean sensitivity, specificity, location sensitivity, JAFROC FOM, and Receiver Operating Characteristics Area Under Curve between 2012 and 2013. Radiologists' characteristics were not tied to levels of improvement.

"Radiologists who undertake the BREAST program demonstrate significant improvements in test-set performance during a three-year period, highlighting the value of ongoing education through the use of test-set," the authors write.

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