Did you know? Difference between US & UK breast scan diagnostics

[MJunderway]

Hey NMP folks!

Those of you with breast concerns might find this to be interesting. I just learned today that in the US only one radiologist reviews a breast scan (mammo & US) and in the UK a minimum of two radiologists review scans with additional radiologists brought in if the original two don't agree. Did anyone else know this? I've spent an inordinate amount of time on breast threads on NMP and I never came across this info. It really shifts the process between the two countries. Not that it makes advice shared between US and UK posters invalid but I thought it was worth noting the difference.

It's interesting to think what kind of changes we could see in diagnostics and treatment in the US if we were to adopt the UK's practice of double reading. I was at the breast center today to get the results of a 6 month follow up US I had on Monday. The dr came in and said how frustrated she was by the radiologist flagging my cyst as "needs to be checked out" even though we've been following it since Fall 2017. She apologized but you could tell she was annoyed.

Here's more info. It's an article about AI replacing human readers but it does talk about in the context of breast cancer (for those of you who are sensitive to the topic)
https://www.wired.co.uk/article/deepmind-google-ai-breast-cancer

[Leslie735]

Wow! I did not know that. Not sure how I feel about it either. :/

[Unicorn1985]

I know here in the uk that when they do biopsies they now get two people to check the sample before stating if cancer is found or not. I believe the changes took place after a poor lady was told she had breast cancer. She underwent chemo and a mastectomy. It was only after the mastectomy they discovered the lump was benign and had been falsy reported back as being cancerous. So now all samples are double checked as human error does happen x

[MJunderway]

I know here in the uk that when they do biopsies they now get two people to check the sample before stating if cancer is found or not. I believe the changes took place after a poor lady was told she had breast cancer. She underwent chemo and a mastectomy. It was only after the mastectomy they discovered the lump was benign and had been falsy reported back as being cancerous. So now all samples are double checked as human error does happen x

There's always horror stories (real or otherwise) floating around in the US with regards to false positives leading to unnecessary treatment. And not only related to breast issues! Personally, I really like the idea of double reading. Not only does it set accountability, it helps both the radiologist and the dr by taking the pressure off of being some sort of omnipotent health provider. In the US it might even cut down on practitioners (justified) fears of litigation in the case of an overlooked problem. Sharing the risk by being open to other opinions honestly has the potential to help everyone involved. I just wanted to pass along that there is a slight difference between the US and the UK and that maybe posters might want to be aware of it when sharing their stories.

On a side note, I am completely fascinated by the differences in medical thought, research, and practice between different countries and cultures.