"The study of more than 429,000 mammograms found that "computer-aided detection" systems did not help radiologists find more tumors and significantly increased the number of false alarms. "

"The researchers and others said the findings, published in Thursday's issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, show that the expensive systems should undergo more scrutiny. "

""The goal of these systems was to make mammography better," said Joshua Fenton of UC Davis, who led the study. "Our study suggests that, if anything, they appear to be doing more harm than good." "

"The study highlighted how new, more expensive technologies can proliferate before enough research has been done to evaluate them, Fenton and others said. "

""There's a tendency to say the newest technology has got to be better," said Russell Harris of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. "That's not necessarily the way it works. This appears to be an example of that." "

"The findings are the latest in a flurry of recent developments that have renewed widespread debates about breast cancer screening. "

"The American College of Physicians this week challenged the long-standing recommendation that all women in their 40s undergo mammograms every year or two, saying that the risks may outweigh the benefits for many. Last week, the American Cancer Society recommended for the first time that women at greatest risk of breast cancer have annual MRI scans, triggering similar arguments over that sensitive, but expensive, technology. "

"Together, the developments underscore that breast cancer screening remains imperfect. But several experts stressed that they hope the debate will not dissuade women from having the exams, noting that for the first time, fewer women sought mammograms last year than the year before. "

""No screening test is perfect," said Robert Smith, the society's director of screening. "But we should never lose sight of the fact that mammography is an important tool in reducing the toll of the disease." "

"Breast cancer strikes more than 212,000 U.S. women each year and kills more than 40,000, making it the second-leading type of cancer and No. 2 cancer killer among women. Proponents of aggressive screening argue that routine mammograms, and MRIs for those at high risk, help reduce the death toll by catching tumors at their earlier, most treatable stage. "

"Critics, however, question whether aggressive screening produces too many false alarms, resulting in unnecessary repeat exams, biopsies and treatment, as well as causing anxiety, pain and, for some, disfigurement. "

"Computer-aided detection systems use computer programs to analyze X-ray images, flagging suspicious areas for radiologists to scrutinize. The Food and Drug Administration approved the first system in 1998. "

"Each system costs about $150,000, and Medicare and many insurance companies increase their payments to radiologists who use them by $20 per exam
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