TECHNOLOGY-TRANSFER IN DIGITAL MAMMOGRAPHY - REPORT OF THE JOINT NATIONAL-CANCER-INSTITUTE NATIONAL-AERONAUTICS-AND-SPACE-ADMINISTRATION WORKSHOP OF MAY 19-20

Digital mammography is one of the most promising novel technologies fo r further improvement of early detection of breast cancer, offering im portant potential advantages: 1) improved image quality; 2) digital im age processing for improved lesion contrast; 3) computer-aided diagnos is for enhanced radiologic interpretation; and 4) teleradiology for fa cilitated radiologic consultation. The Diagnostic Imaging Research Bra nch of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) recently funded an internat ional, multidisciplinary, multi-institutional Digital Mammography Deve lopment Group for collaborations between NCI, the academic community, and industry to facilitate the integrated development and implementati on of digital mammographic systems. Currently, however, digital mammog raphy faces a number of fundamental technological roadblocks: 1) cost- effective digital detectors and displays for imaging systems; 2) the n eed for novel algorithms for image processing and computer-aided diagn osis; and 3) high performance, low cost digital networks to provide an ''information superhighway'' for teleradiology. To solve some of thes e technological problems, the Diagnostic Imaging Research Branch of NC I joined efforts with the Technology Transfer Division of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to pursue a federal technology t ransfer program in digital mammography. The authors discuss the findin gs and recommendations of the workshop entitled ''Technology Transfer in Digital Mammography,'' which was organized and held jointly by the NCI and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in May, 1993 . Numerous innovative technologies of varying degree of promise for di gital mammography were presented at the conference. In this article, s pecific technologies presented at the workshop by the federal and fede rally-supported laboratories are described, and critiques of these tec hnologies by the leaders of the medical imaging community are presente d.