|
Methods and materials: A total of 129 readers independently reviewed 60 mammographic cases, 20 of which were biopsy proven cases (abnormal) and 40 were normal. Each case consisted of the four standard cranio-caudal (CC) and medio-lateral oblique (MLO) projections. Readers were asked to interpret and locate any presence of cancer, and levels of confidence were scored on a scale of 1-5. Radiology workstations supporting 5MP diagnostic monitors and with full image manipulation tools were used to display all images. JAFROC and ROC methodologies were used and figures of merit and Az values respectively were correlated against key reader characteristics such as experience, qualifications, breast reading practices and physical characteristics using Spearman techniques. Results: Correlation analysis between reader characteristics and JAFROC analysis demonstrated that four key characteristics were linked to performance: years of qualification as a radiologist (p=0.05, r= 0.18), years reading mammograms (p=0.01, r=0.24), number of mammograms read per year (p=0.001, r=0.24), and hours reading mammogram per week (p=0.04, r= 0.19). The ROC method indicated that determinants of performance were confined to years reading mammograms (p=0.02, r = 0.2), and number of mammograms read per year (p=0.04, r=0.23). Conclusion: This work demonstrates the practical impact on study conclusions when different methodologies are used. The location sensitivity approach employed and statistical power with JAFROC, would suggest that the findings from this approach should be prioritized. |
ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE
No SPIE Account? Create one
CITATIONS
Cited by 3 scholarly publications.
Mammography
Medical imaging
Breast
Statistical analysis
Cancer
Radiology
Biopsy
