Diagnostic Performance Benchmarks

Performance Benchmarks for Diagnostic Mammography

In the United States, a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulation requires limited auditing of clinical outcomes for screening and diagnostic mammography examinations that have been assessed as suspicious for or highly suggestive of malignancy. More comprehensive auditing is performed by many mammography facilities in the United States and other countries. Auditing is thought to be a useful quality assurance procedure, providing performance feedback to mammography facilities and interpreting radiologists.

The following tables and figures contain a range of performance parameters pertinent to the comprehensive auditing of diagnostic mammograms. Pooled data from BCSC registries provides by far the largest reported experience of U.S. diagnostic mammography practice, from which reasonable and realistic diagnostic benchmarks may be derived.

Note: Lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) diagnoses have been excluded from these performance measures.

Tables & Figures

Our latest estimates are based on 401,548 diagnostic mammograms performed between 2007 and 2013.

Diagnostic PERFORMANCE BENCHMARK PUBLICATIONS

Please also see the following BCSC diagnostic performance benchmarks publications related to the data presented above: 

Sprague BL, Arao RF, Miglioretti DL, Henderson LM, Buist DS, Onega T, Rauscher GH, Lee JM, Tosteson AN, Kerlikowske K, Lehman CD; Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium. National Performance Benchmarks for Modern Diagnostic Digital Mammography: Update from the Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium. Radiology. 2017 Apr;283(1):59-69. [Abstract or Full Text]

Sickles EA, Miglioretti DL, Ballard-Barbash R, Geller BM, Leung JWT, Rosenberg RD, Smith-Bindman R, Yankaskas BC. Performance benchmarks for diagnostic mammography. Radiology 2005;235(3):775-790. [Abstract or Full Text]