DBT Increases Cancer Detection Versus Digital Mammography
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
THURSDAY, Sept. 19, 2024 -- Digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) can increase cancer detection compared with two-dimensional digital mammography (DM), according to a study published online Sept. 17 in Radiology.
Liane Elizabeth Philpotts, M.D., from the Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut, and colleagues compared cancer types and stages over three years of DM screening and 10 years of DBT screening in a retrospective study that identified breast cancers detected by using screening mammography from August 2008 through July 2021.
A total of 1,407 breast cancers were examined: 142 were identified with DM and 1,265 with DBT. The researchers found that the rate of cancer detection was significantly higher with DBT than DM (5.3 versus four cancers per 1,000), with a similar ratio of invasive cancers to ductal carcinomas in situ (76.5:23.5 percent versus 71.1:28.9 percent). There were no differences in the mean invasive cancer size between DM and DBT; incident DBT cases were smaller than prevalent cases. Similar rates of invasive cancer subtypes were seen for DBT and DM: low grade (26.5 versus 29 percent); moderate grade (57.2 versus 51 percent); and high grade (16.1 versus 20 percent). A lower proportion of advanced cancers was seen with DBT than DM (32.6 versus 43.6 percent, respectively) and for DBT prevalent and incident screening (39.1 versus 29.1 percent). No difference was seen in interval cancer rates.
"These findings add to the growing literature regarding cancer detection with DBT and may support its use in screening mammography in the United States and globally," the authors write.
Editorial (subscription or payment may be required)
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted September 2024
Read this next
Removing Out-of-Pocket Fee Boosts Rates of Digital Breast Mammography
WEDNESDAY, July 9, 2025 -- Removing a modest out-of-pocket fee significantly improves access to digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT; 3D mammography), particularly among underserved...
Adiposity-Linked Breast Cancer Risk Higher for Women With CVD
MONDAY, July 7, 2025 -- Women with cardiovascular disease (CVD) have a substantially higher adiposity-associated risk for breast cancer, according to a study published online July...
Breast Cancer Incidence Trends Vary by Age
TUESDAY, July 1, 2025 -- Breast cancer incidence trends differ by age, even among older women, particularly by race and ethnicity and stage at diagnosis, according to a study...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.