Breastcheck: research shows diagnostic errors are nothing new

IT is time facts and figures regarding breastcheck services should be made public. I am not a radiologist — they are afraid to comment — but I have some knowledge regarding breast services and mammograms.

The Agency of Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), in February 2006, released a review entitled Effectiveness of Noninvasive Diagnostic Tests for Breast Abnormalities.

It indicated that common tests like mammography, ultrasound and MRI would miss between 4% and 9% of cancer cases among low-risk women testing negative, with potentially more missed cancers among women at higher risk.