Move from film to digital mammography accelerated overdiagnosis, researchers say
It follows warnings from radiologists that fast-advancing technology increased the risk of 'incidentalomas'.
A move from film to digital mammography between 2006 and 2010 picked up a small number of extra cancers at the expense of many more false positives, researchers have suggested.
While a return to film is unlikely, the researchers said it highlighted that better detection did not always mean better outcomes, just as with improving radiography technology.
The study covered 2.7 million BreastScreen NSW attendances, 55% film-based and 45% digital-based.
The move to digital mammography increased the screen-detected cancer rate by 0.07 per 1000 screens, with a 0.21 per 1000 reduction in invasive cancer detections and a 0.28 per 1000 increase in ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) detections.
