A Retrospective Study on the Diagnostic Performance of Mammography Inter-Observer Variation and Comparison with Results of Previous Study

• Published in: Nihon Nyugan Kenshin Gakkaishi (Journal of Japan Association of Breast Cancer Screening) Vol. 2; no. 1; pp. 53 - 61
• Main Authors: Matsumoto, Toru, Kido, Choichiro, Sasaki, Fumio, Endo, Tokiko, Iinuma, Takeshi, Abe, Rikiya, Ishida, Tsunehiro, Oota, Jun, Fukuda, Mamoru, Morimoto, Tadaoki, Tashiro, Hideya, Yoshida, Koichi, Sasagawa, Michizo, Tominaga, Suketami
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Japanese
• Published: Japan Association of Breast Cancer Screening 25.04.1993
• Subjects: comparative study; inter-observer variation; mammography; palpation; receiver operating characteristic (ROC)
• ISSN: 0918-0729; 1882-6873
• DOI: 10.3804/jjabcs.2.53

With the aim of evaluating diagnostic performance and inter-observer variation of mammography, mammograms (MMGs) in 50 cases from the previous study were analyzed retrospectively. Without knowledge of either data from inspection and palpation diagnosis or clinical data, a study of MMGs reading by 10 physicians and 7 radiology technicians was carried out. The results showed that participating physicians and technicians, on the whole, were equally capable of detecting a mass and of differentiating breast cancer from normal cases and benign cases. In addition, variations in these capabilities among the physicians and technicians were nearly identical. Given the fact that the technicians engaged in the present study were specialists in mammography, these results suggest that technicians in general have the potential of reaching the same level of diagnostic performance as that of physicians if they are given suitable education and training, and that it is possible to establish a MMG reading system in which radiology technicians perform the MMG reading in the mass screening of breast cancer. Under these circumstances, the present results also suggest that it is urgently necessary to establish a mammographic technique for mass screening that is acceptable to the majority of MMG readers at other institutions.