A comparison between film-screen mammography and full-field digital mammography utilizing phase contrast technology in breast cancer screening programs

Abstract

A digital phase contrast mammography (PCM) system was introduced into a hospital's screening programs with the expectation of improved clinical image quality. A total of 3835 examinations with the PCM system and 4338 examinations with a film-screen (FS) system were performed. The screening performance measures of the two systems were compared. Both in recall rates and in cancer detection rates, the performances of PCM and FS exhibited no statistically significant difference. For microcalcifications and masses, recall rates were lower with PCM than with FS despite the fact that more findings were reported with PCM. It would appear that PCM's superior depiction of abnormalities helped radiologists improve the accuracy of categorization. PCM is considered a beneficial imaging modality in breast cancer screening programs. © 2008 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.