Classification of benign and malignant breast tumors on the basis of 36 radiographic properties

Abstract

Using a semiquantitative question sheet, a radiologist estimated 36 radiographic properties upon each of 102 pathologically proven cases of benign and malignant disease of the breast. From these properties, a probability of malignancy was assigned to each case using an automatic clustering algorithm. The algorithm examined the properties of half the cases and evolved parameters with which to assign probabilities of malignancy to unseen cases. Then the validity of these parameters was tested using the other half of cases. Every mammogram used in this study had a pathologic diagnosis indicating that the surgeon was suspicious enough of malignant disease to operate. Using the properties and decision method described in the paper, the false‐positive rate was lowered 45% while keeping a false‐negative rate of zero in the same set of mammograms. Copyright © 1973 American Cancer Society