PHE - Breast cancer test and training system

Tender description

The NHSBSP is a two-stage process for screening and diagnosing breast cancers. Women initially undergo two-view mammography of each breast. The resulting images are reported by two independent readers who may be breast radiologists, breast physicians, consultant radiographers or advanced practitioner radiographers. The two possible outcomes from image reporting are abnormal or normal. The aim of the Programme is to maximise screening sensitivity (diagnosing the disease in the population who have the disease) whilst also maximising screening specificity (correctly identifying those who do not have the disease). The Programme requires all image readers to report a minimum of 5,000 images per year. With a national detection rate of 8/1000 women screened, the average reader will only see around 40 cancers on mammograms per year. PHE are therefore looking to procure a system to support the evaluation of users.