Table 1.
Definitions of mammography performance measures and goals
| Performance measure | Survey definition | BI-RADS manual definition* | 25-75 percentile performance ranges noted in Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium† | Desirable performance goals‡ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Recall rate | % of all screens with a positive assessment leading to immediate additional work-up | The percentage of examinations interpreted as positive (for screening exams BI-RADS categories 0, 4, and 5, for diagnostic exams BI-RADS 4 and 5 assessments). | 6.4-13.3% | 2-10%§ |
| RR= (positive examination)/(all examinations) | ||||
|
| ||||
| False positive rate | % of all screens interpreted as positive and no cancer is present | Not available | 7.5-14.0% | 2-10%§ |
|
| ||||
| Positive predictive value of biopsy recommendation (PPV2) | % of all screens with biopsy or surgical consultation recommended that resulted in cancer | The percentage of all screening or diagnostic examinations recommended for biopsy or surgical consultation (BI-RADS categories 4 and 5) that resulted in a tissue diagnosis of cancer within one year. PPV2 = True positive/(number of screening or diagnostic examinations recommended for biopsy) | 18.8-32.0% | 25-40% |
|
| ||||
| Cancer detection rate | # of cancers detected by mammography per 1000 screens | The number of cancers correctly detected at mammography per 1,000 patients examined at mammography. | 3.2-5.8% | 2-10% |
American College of Radiology. ACR BI-RADS - Mammography. 4th ed. Reston, VA: American College of Radiology; 2003.
Rosenberg, RD, Yankaskas, BC, Abraham, LA, et al. Performance Benchmarks for Screening Mammography. Radiology 241(1) 55-66, and false positive rate from BCSC website (http://breastscreening.cancer.gov/data/bcsc_data_definitions.pdf)
Bassett LW, Hendrick RE, Bassford TL. Et al. Quality determinants of mammography. Clinical Practice Guideline No. 13. AHCPR Publication No. 95-0632. Rockville, MD: Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, Public Health Service, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, October 1994: 83
Modified from BI-RADs manual “desirable” goals because 0-2% recall rate and false positive rate are not considered realistic