Breast cancer is the second most common type of cancer in American women (skin cancer is the first). Chances of successful treatment are the greatest when the cancer is detected in its early stages. Mammography is a screening test which creates images of the breasts so a radiologist can locate suspicious areas. Mammography is not perfect, and researchers are working on ways to improve its accuracy. One type of technology to try make mammograms better is computer-aided mammography, also known as computer-aided detection (CAD).

In traditional mammography, a radiologist reviews an x-ray of the breast to locate any suspicious areas and determine whether diagnostic testing is necessary. With CAD, the radiologist uses a computer program to help detect suspicious areas on a mammogram after she has done the initial review.

A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine showed that CAD may falsely suggest suspicious areas of growth in the breast, but may not substantially detect more breast cancer cases. The study reported that for every 100,000 mammograms, 2,985 more false positive mammograms will occur, and five more cancers will be detected. In another recent study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, researchers concluded that the use of CAD did not improve the rate of detecting cancer.

Researchers are continuing to look for ways to improve the accuracy of mammography. CAD is one of the many types of breast imaging technologies available today, including ultrasound, digital mammography (which records images in computer code), and MRI.

When scheduling your next mammogram, you may want to find out if CAD or another advanced breast imaging technology is available in your area. If it is, you and your doctor can decide if the technology is right for you. If your facility does not offer CAD, remember that the most important consideration in ensuring you have a quality mammogram is having a well-trained radiologist read the results.