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How Reliable is Mammography Technology?

According to a study released in today's issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, computer-aided detection is less accurate at finding breast cancer tumors than previously thought. Conducted at the University of California (Davis), the study suggests that the system used to examine mammograms could be causing more false alarms that lead to unnecessary biopsies and additional testing. However, this doesn't mean that women should stop having mammograms.

According to the president of a company whose equipment was used in the study, the research also showed that the computer systems find proportionately more early precancerous growths. Regardless of the study's results, the debate over breast cancer detection methods will continue as the technology evolves.

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