Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33675147›Full record

SynthesisCancer medicine2021

Digital breast tomosynthesis compared to diagnostic mammographic projections (including magnification) among women recalled at screening mammography: a systematic review for the European Commission Initiative on Breast Cancer (ECIBC).

Carlos Canelo-Aybar, Lourdes Carrera, Jessica Beltrán, Margarita Posso, David Rigau, Annette Lebeau, Axel Gräwingholt, Xavier Castells, Miranda Langendam, Elsa Pérez and 5 more

Open access · goldAbstract readComparative StudySystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Cancer medicine, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
0.3field-weighted citation impact, top 42% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 5 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Guideline
  2. Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

15 authors at 10 institutions in 5 countries.

Carlos Canelo-AybarCIBER de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain.
Lourdes CarreraUniversidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima, Perú.
Jessica BeltránDepartment of Clinical Epidemiology and Public Health, Biomedical Research Institute Sant Pau (IIB Sant Pau), Barcelona, Spain.
Margarita PossoDepartment of Clinical Epidemiology and Public Health, Biomedical Research Institute Sant Pau (IIB Sant Pau), Barcelona, Spain.
David RigauDepartment of Clinical Epidemiology and Public Health, Biomedical Research Institute Sant Pau (IIB Sant Pau), Barcelona, Spain.
Annette LebeauInstitute of Pathology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
Axel GräwingholtRadiologie am Theater, Paderborn, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-4778-8731
Xavier CastellsDepartment of Epidemiology and Evaluation, Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM), Barcelona, Spain.
Miranda LangendamDepartment of Clinical Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam Public Health Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Elsa PérezUniversity Hospital Dr. Josep Trueta, Girona, Spain.
Paolo Giorgi RossiEpidemiology Unit, Azienda USL - IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy.ORCID 0000-0001-9703-2460
Ruben Van EngenLRCB, Dutch Expert Centre for Screening, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Elena ParmelliEuropean Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Ispra, Italy.
Zuleika Saz-ParkinsonEuropean Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Ispra, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-3518-5899
Pablo Alonso-CoelloCIBER de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain.
Hospital de Sant Pau · ESJoint Research Centre · ITAmsterdam University Medical Centers · NLAzienda Sanitaria Unità Locale di Reggio Emilia · ITDutch Expert Centre for Screening · NLHospital Del Mar · ESHospital Universitari de Girona Doctor Josep Trueta · ESNational University of San Marcos · PEPaderborn University · DEUniversität Hamburg · DE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundDiagnostic mammography projections (DxMM) have been traditionally used in the assessment of women recalled after a suspicious screening mammogram. Digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) reduces the tissue overlap effect, thus improving image assessment. Some studies have suggested DBT might replace DxMM with at least equivalent performance.

objectiveTo evaluate the replacement of DxMM with DBT in women recalled at screening.

methodsWe searched PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library databases to identify diagnostic paired cohort studies or RCTs comparing DBT vs DxMM, published in English that: reported accuracy outcomes, recruited women recalled for assessment at mammography screening, and included a reference standard. Subgroup analysis was performed over lesion characteristics. We provided pooled accuracy estimates and differences between tests using a quadrivariate model. We assessed the certainty of the evidence using the GRADE approach.

resultsWe included ten studies that reported specificity and sensitivity. One study included 7060 women while the remaining included between 52 and 738 women. DBT compared with DxMM showed a pooled difference for the sensitivity of 2% (95% CI 1%-3%) and a pooled difference for the specificity of 6% (95%CI 2%-11%). Restricting the analysis to the six studies that included women with microcalcification lesions gave similar results. In the context of a prevalence of 21% of breast cancer (BC) in recalled women, DBT probably detects 4 (95% CI 2-6) more BC cases and has 47 (95%CI 16-87) fewer false-positive results per 1000 assessments. The certainty of the evidence was moderate due to risk of bias.

conclusionThe evidence in the assessment of screen-recalled findings with DBT is sparse and of moderate certainty. DBT probably has higher sensitivity and specificity than DxMM. Women, health care providers and policymakers might value as relevant the reduction of false-positive results and related fewer invasive diagnostic procedures with DBT, without missing BC cases.

Indexed as

BreastBreast DensityBreast NeoplasmsEarly Detection of CancerEuropeFemaleHumansMammographybreast neoplasmsdigital breast tomosynthesesmass screeningpractice guidelinessystematic review

Identifiers

PMID33675147
PMCPMC7982617
OpenAlexW3135428336

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.