Aunt Minnie (8/31, Yee) reports that according to an article published online August 29 in the Journal of Global Oncology, “researchers successfully used a combination of handheld ultrasound and computer-aided diagnosis (CADx) software to triage women in Mexico who had palpable breast masses,” which could improve access to screening mammography. The team wrote that the results “open up the possibility of implementing practical, cost-effective triage of palpable breast lumps, ensuring that scarce resources can be dedicated to suspicious lesions requiring further workup.”

Aunt Minnie (8/22, Yee) reports that research indicates “the mammography screening rate declined among women with a history of breast cancer after the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) changed its breast screening guidelines for average-risk women in 2009.” This “decline seems to be an unintended consequence of the guideline change.” The findings were published in a research letter in JAMA Surgery.

The Radiology Business Journal (8/21, Walter) reports on a study published in Radiology finding that “screening mammography is a reasonable surveillance tool for breast cancer patients treated with mastectomy and breast reconstruction with autologous myocutaneous flaps.” Yet it also found that such screening “provides little additional value...if the patient had reconstruction after a prophylactic mastectomy.” The study included “data from 515 women who had undergone mammography of 618 AMFs between Jan. 1, 2000, and July 15, 2015.” Of these, “78.5 percent were performed after mastectomy for cancer” while the balance “were performed after prophylactic mastectomy.”

The Radiology Business Journal (8/20, Slachta) reports on breast imaging fellowships, adding that “a group of Harvard Medical researchers wrote in the Journal of the American College of Radiology this month that a combination of organized rotations, regular feedback, structured learning activities and increased community participation could help homogenize programs across the country.” The authors wrote that the guidelines from the American College of Radiology and Society of Breast Imaging “have failed to standardize fellowship practices.” The authors suggested that a fellowship be divided “into four year-long segments,” so that fellows would “progress from the ‘advanced beginner’ to ‘expert’ stages.”

The Radiology Business Journal (8/20, Slachta) reports on a study published in Academic Radiology finding that verbal communication “is the best way to achieve timely follow-up with breast imaging patients whose mammograms are inconclusive.” Verbal follow-up was found “superior to email, snail mail and EMR-generated reminders in reaching out to patients whose mammograms were assigned a BI-RADS score of 0.” The study “included 34,680 mammography examinations across 28 facilities.”