CAD systems use software to identify and mark potential malignancies on routine screening mammograms. Used after the interpreting radiologist has completed an initial reading and interpretation of a patient's mammogram, CAD is designed to minimize observational oversights, potentially improving cancer detection, by alerting the radiologist to regions of concern that may warrant close attention. The radiologist reexamines the mammograms, considering CAD information but recording a final interpretation based on his/her own judgment. CAD may be applied to standard screen-film mammograms which have been digitized.
