A new study conducted by the Group Health Center for Health Studies has found that there is a direct link between the ability of diagnostic mammograms to detect breast problems and the radiologist’s experience.

During a seven-year study, the researchers have examined how well 123 radiologists interpreted nearly 36,000 diagnostic mammograms done to evaluate breast problems, such as lumps, from 1996 through 2003 at 72 U.S. facilities, including six from Group Health.

The main criterion of evaluation was the “sensitivity”, the ability to accurately detect cancer, especially for women with breast symptoms such as lumps.

According to their findings for different radiologists, sensitivity ranged from 27 percent to 100 percent; and false-positives, from 0 to 16 percent.

"On average, 21 percent of breast cancers were missed and 4.3 percent of women underwent a biopsy even though they didn't have breast cancer," said study leader Diana Miglioretti, PhD, an associate investigator at Group Health Center for Health Studies.

Ideally, this “sensitivity” would be consistently high, with few false-positives-biopsies performed despite the absence of cancer

The study also revealed the radiologists who read diagnostic mammograms most accurately (with highest sensitivity, without too many false-positives) tended to be those who were based at academic medical centers or spent at least 20 percent of their time on breast imaging.

“We need to reduce the wide variability among radiologists in how they interpret diagnostic-and screening-mammograms,” said Miglioretti.

“A good way to do that may be to identify the radiologists who are least accurate at reading mammograms-and to improve their performance with extra training,” Miglioretti added.

She also urged women with breast concerns, such as lumps, to try to get evaluated at a center that has at least one breast imaging specialist: a radiologist who spends a large percentage of the time reading mammograms and performing breast biopsies.

“Women should get regular screening mammograms,” said Miglioretti. “Mammography isn’t perfect, but it’s the best way we have to detect breast cancer early, when it has the greatest chance of being cured.”

On Sunday, in another study, the scientists announced that they have discovered that women, who inherit a version of the gene BRCA1 that suffered a mutation, are more inclined to develop breast cancer. This discovery might help in finding new treatments.

There will be an estimated 178,000 new cases of breast cancer in the United States this year, with 40,000 deaths.