Magee's breast center, which does 40,000 routine mammograms and 17,000 additional procedures at six sites a year, has been trying to fill two radiologists' positions for the past two years. Radiologists who specialize in breast care make their money not from simple screenings but from follow-up procedures such as needle biopsies, once performed by surgeons. Missed cancers occur in 15 percent of all routine screenings, said Klaman. Mammography is not 100 percent reliable. If you look at dense breast tissue, it's white, and a cancerous mass is white.
Fatty tissue is gray, which is easier.
Ultrasound is another technique, but it has its own weaknesses. It's a tool that can help doctors spot abnormalities they might otherwise miss, Klaman said. It also takes more of their time. A scholarship plan Several places also noted that a shortage of radiology technicians is aggravating the wait. Magee has set up a scholarship fund at its School of Radiologic Technology to entice graduating high school seniors and others to make breast imaging a career.