FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT COMPUTER AIDED DETECTION

With the controversy that has been raging in the media, should women get screening mammograms? Why not just wait?

There is no question that women should continue to get mammograms based on the recommendations of the American Cancer Society, the National Cancer Institute and many other medical societies. Women should continue getting mammograms because an independent panel investigating this issue for the US Health & Human Services and the National Cancer Institute just issued a report showing that mammography reduces the risk of dying of - breast cancer by 20%. And, a recent major published study from Sweden established that screening mammography decreased breast cancer mortality by 63%! (Tabar et al) No woman should risk her health or her life on an academic debate. We have seen similar debates focus on fetal ultrasound and screening mammography has been "attacked" before. However, in each case, when the dust settled, there was no change in recommend medical procedure. We expect nothing different now.

Why is CAD important to the early detection of Breast Cancer?

Until there is a cure, detecting breast cancer at its earliest stage is critical for the successful management and treatment of patients. Clinical trials demonstrated that use of the ImageChecker could result in earlier detection of up to 23.4 percent of the cancers currently detected with screening mammography in those women who had a prior screening mammogram nine-24 months earlier. This translates into tens of thousands of additional cancers that could be detected earlier each year.

Is the R2 ImageChecker approved by the FDA ? What benefit does it provide?

In June of 1998, R2 received approval from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) to market the ImageChecker after performing one of the largest clinical trials of its kind.
In June of2001, the FDA expanded the indication for the ImageChecker CAD system to be used with diagnostic mammograms, in addition to the previously approved use of the system with routine screening mammograms. The R2 Technology JmageChecker system was the first FDA-approved CAD system for use in breast cancer screening. It is designed to assist radiologists in the early detection of breast cancer by providing a computerized second read that draws their attention to suspicious areas that may be indicative of cancer.
Studies have shown that screening mammography detects about 80% of "detectable" cancers. Use of the ImageChecker could result in the detection of almost all (98%) detectable cancers.

How does the R2 ImageChecker work?

The R2 ImageChecker is designed to augment, not replace, the radiologist's review of screening mammograms. The system's specialized processing software analyzes the images and draws the radiologist's attention to suspicious areas that may be indicative of cancer. The radiologist typically reviews the entire mammogram first and then reviews the ImageChecker analysis to see if any areas have been highlighted for additional review. If an image is marked, the radiologist goes back to the original mammogram to review this section of the image in more detail.

Will my insurance pay for me to receive this?

Most insurance companies and HMO’s will pay for the addition of Computer Aided Detection in Breast Cancer Screening. We will be billing the HMO’s and Insurance Companies for this service. If a patient has concern about payment for this service, they should contact their insurance company or HMO.