Cost Effectiveness Of Digital Mammography Screening Questioned

ScienceDaily (Jan. 22, 2008) — Digital mammography does not improve health enough to warrant its higher cost unless its use is limited to women under age 50 or women with dense breasts, according to a cost-effectiveness study comparing digital mammography and conventional film mammography for breast cancer screening.

The Dartmouth-led study found that health outcomes were equivalent between screening methods when all women were considered, but improved when digital was limited to younger women or women with dense breasts, resulting in cost effectiveness only in those subgroups.

Science Daily