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Does Reader Performance with Digital Breast Tomosynthesis Vary according to Experience with Two-dimensional
Lorraine Tucker1, Fiona J Gilbert1, Susan M Astley1
1From the Department of Radiology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge CB2 0QQ, England (L.T., F.J.G.); Department of Imaging Science and Biomedical Engineering, University of Manchester, Manchester, England (S.M.A.); Centre for Cancer Prevention, Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine, Queen Mary University of London, London, England (A.D., S.W.D.); West of Scotland Breast Screening Service, Glasgow, Scotland (A.S., J.L., H.M.D., L.M.); Department of Radiology, King's College Hospital, London, England (J.M., J.G., R.R.); Department of Radiology, University Hospital of South Manchester, Manchester, England (S.B., U.B., Y.Y.L., E.H.); North East Scotland Breast Screening Centre, Aberdeen, Scotland (H.K., G.L.); Department of Radiology, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, England (H.P.); Jarvis Breast Centre, Guildford, England (P.S., K.S., C.K.); Department of Clinical Radiology, Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, Aberdeen, Scotland (T.J.G.); and Department of Radiology, St Bartholomew's Hospital, London, England (T.S.).
Digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) improves specificity for all readers compared to 2D mammography. Sensitivity gains were greater for readers with less experience, highlighting DBT
Area of Science:
- Radiology
- Medical Imaging
- Oncology
Background:
- Digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) is an advanced imaging technique.
- Two-dimensional (2D) mammography is the current standard for breast cancer screening.
- Reader performance can be influenced by experience and case volume.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate if reader performance in digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) and 2D mammography varies with experience.
- To determine the impact of years of experience and mammogram volume on reader accuracy.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective reading study involving 7060 mammography cases from the TOMMY trial.
- Readers (radiologists, radiographers, clinicians) with varying experience reviewed 2D mammograms, DBT images, and synthetic 2D images.
- Reader performance metrics (specificity and sensitivity) were analyzed based on experience level and case volume.
Main Results:
- Specificity significantly improved with the addition of DBT across all reader groups.
- Sensitivity improved for 79% of readers.
- Higher sensitivity gains were observed for readers with less than 10 years of experience or fewer than 80,000 mammograms read.
Conclusions:
- DBT enhances specificity in breast cancer screening for all readers.
- The benefit of DBT in sensitivity is more pronounced in less experienced readers.
- Experience level is a key factor in optimizing reader performance with DBT.
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