False-negative mammograms - Medical, legal, and risk management implications

When breast cancer is detected by physical examination or imaging and the patient has previously undergone a mammographic study that did not identify malignancy, the study may be considered under the category "false-negative mammogram". Some lesions cannot be seen in retrospect, some should be considered as subthreshold, and some are appropriately classified as missed. Although little can be done to reduce delay in diagnosis secondary to the first category, errors in detection or diagnosis contribute to the latter two categories that may lend themselves to analysis and efforts at quality improvement. Understanding conditions that influence detection and diagnostic errors may reduce the number of false-negative mammograms.