BIDMC Clinical Trial Tests Digital Mammograms
A large multi-center clinical trial to compare the effectiveness of digital mammography to standard film mammography in screening women
Date: 3/27/2002
BIDMC Contact: Bonnie Prescott
Phone: 617-632-8063
BOSTON – A large multi-center clinical trial to compare the effectiveness of digital mammography to standard film mammography in screening women for breast cancer has been launched at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and 18 other sites around the U.S. and Canada. BIDMC is the only site in New England where the trial is being conducted.
Sponsored by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the American College of Radiology Imaging Network (ACRIN), the Digital Mammographic Imaging Screening Trial (DMIST) will involve 49,500 women over the course of 18 months.
Digital mammography uses computers and specially designed detectors to produce a digital image of breast tissue that can be displayed on high-resolution monitors. This new technology has the potential to provide more accurate evaluation of mammograms among some patients, according to radiologist Janet Baum, MD, who is leading the clinical trial at BIDMC.
“With digital mammography, we are able correct for slight underexposure or overexposure of dense or fatty areas within the breast and to enhance the contrast of the images,” says Baum. “This technology also enables us to magnify specific areas for closer examination, without the need to obtain extra views.”
Standard film mammography remains an important screening tool for breast cancer, notes Baum. One of the possible advantages of digital images may be its higher contrast, although somewhat lower resolution, which could prove more effective than film mammograms in detecting cancers in women with dense breast tissue. This technology may also result in fewer repeat visits for examination of suspicious lesions; in addition to testing the effectiveness of digital mammography in detecting cancers, a secondary goal of the study is to address the impact of “false positive” readings to a woman's quality of life.
“Participation in this trial has a number of advantages for our patients,” explains Baum. “Among other things, it will provide them the opportunity to undergo two separate mammograms, each of which will be carefully examined by a separate radiologist who sub-specializes in breast imaging.” The final recommendations made to patients will be a combination of the results of the two exams.
Women will be entered into the study at the time of their annual screening mammogram. Women are eligible to participate if they have no history of breast cancer, do not have breast implants and have no current symptoms indicating a possible problem. Participants will undergo both a digital mammogram and a standard film mammogram during the same visit, and will be asked to return for a follow-up examination one year later. Results will be available within one week of the exams.
To participate in the trial, please call the Scheduling Office at BIDMC at 617-667-2515 to make an appointment for a routine mammogram and explain that you would like to participate in the Digital Mammography or DMIST study. Participants will need to schedule appointments between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. (Non-BIDMC patients who choose to participate in the study should bring the films from one or two of their most recent mammograms.) For questions or more information about the DMIST trial, visit the web site at www.dmist.org or call 617-667-7062. (Please note: It may take several days for calls to be returned.)
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center is a major patient care, research and teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School and a founding member of CareGroup Healthcare System. Beth Israel Deaconess is the third largest recipient of National Institutes of Health funding among independent hospitals.
