A retrospective study found that breast cancer screening with digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT), compared to screening without DBT, improved sensitivity and specificity and reduced the rates of false negatives.
The use of DBT has been associated with improved breast cancer detection and recall rates, but its impact on survival is less clear. A false negative screening can have a significant impact on morbidity and mortality.
“With DBT, you can really feel like you’re combing through the breast tissue instead of just looking at flat pictures,” explained study lead author Melissa A. Durand, MD, associate professor of diagnostic radiology and biomedical imaging at Yale University School of Medicine and Smilow Cancer Hospital in New Haven, Conn., in a press release.