Share

Experts can spot breast cancer in 'milliseconds'

accreditation
iStock

Trained radiologists can identify abnormal mammograms in a half-second, a new study says.

'Hunches' based on something real

The experiments by American and British researchers confirm anecdotes about experienced radiologists' ability to quickly determine when a breast X-ray is suspicious.

While radiologists would never spend only a half-second to assess a real mammogram, these results suggest there are detectable signs of breast cancer that radiologists notice immediately, the study authors said.

Read: New device may make mammograms more comfortable

"Radiologists can have 'hunches' after a first look at a mammogram. We found that these hunches are based on something real in the images," study senior author Jeremy Wolfe said. "It's really striking that in the blink of an eye, an expert can pick up on something about that mammogram that indicates abnormality."

Wolfe heads the Visual Attention Laboratory at Brigham and Women's Hospital and is a professor of ophthalmology and radiology at Harvard Medical School, both in Boston.

"Not only that, but they can detect something abnormal in the other breast, the breast that does not contain a lesion," he added in a hospital news release.

Read: More benefits of mammograms

The study findings were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

"These results suggest that there may be something in the nominally normal breast that looks abnormal and is detectable," Wolfe said. "Together, these results suggest that radiologists may be picking up on some sort of early, global signal of abnormality that is unknown to us at this point."

Defining that signal could lead to development of better imaging tools and improved medical training, he said.

Read more:

Symptoms of cancer

Treating cancer

Preventing cancer

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE