Digital mammography: The excitement of creating a new imaging modality

Beginning around 1972 with the introduction of CT, a steady transition from analog to digital imaging in radiology took place. Here, I offer a personal perspective of the exciting multi-institutional and multidisciplinary team effort of developing digital mammography. That effort required the collaboration of visionary individuals in academic research labs, industry, and the clinical arena, catalyzed by a focused commitment from government (NCI and The Office of Women's Health). This collaboration greatly accelerated the timeline from laboratory prototypes to clinical systems and evaluation, resulting in a new imaging modality and, later, several spinoff applications (CAD, contrast-enhanced mammography, tomosynthesis) that provide improved earlier detection of breast cancer.