A dozen women in different regions were cleared of suspicion without their mammography images having been thoroughly examined by radiologists, according to the Medical Products Agency.
The reason was an error in a software program in the cross-regional image processing system used for examining the mammography images.
Woman died
The error was discovered when a caregiver investigated a case where a woman who had been cleared of suspicion at her latest mammography later died of breast cancer. Sandra Sjöåker, investigator at the Medical Products Agency's unit for medical technology, tells TT that the agency views the incident seriously.
Had the examination procedure worked, one might have discovered the disease earlier, but it cannot be said whether she would have survived anyway, she says.
Affected informed
All cases have undergone a new examination and in a few women, breast cancer has been detected. All women affected have been notified, the error in the software has been corrected, and the manufacturer's investigation has led to measures to prevent similar errors in the future. That some images slipped through during the radiologists' final examination was due to the fact that clicks on the button for clearance in some cases could be duplicated, for example if the system lagged, says Sandra Sjöåker.
The image processing system is used within the national program for breast cancer screening.
How can women trust their mammography results?
The manufacturer is now doing everything to ensure that every image will be examined in the future. Of the approximately 800,000 mammography examinations examined annually, it is about a dozen that have gone wrong. It is obviously dreadful for the woman who is affected, but the benefit of mammography is still so incredibly much greater than the risks, says Sandra Sjöåker.
