Quebec to review 15,000 mammograms

Quebec's College of Physicians has ordered an investigation into 15,000 mammograms done at clinics in Montreal and Laval after a random quality control review turned up problems withtest analyses.

The discovery of irregularities in test interpretations done over the past two years means thousands of Quebec women might have been given inaccurate results after being screened for breast cancer.

All the potentially incorrect results can be traced to one radiologist, who worked at three clinics: Radiologie Jean-Talon Blanger andRadiologie Domus Mdica in Montreal; and Radiologie Fabreville in Laval.

"What we fear is that he could have missed some problems that should have been seen ... [interpreting] a lesion that was not a lesion or missing a lesion that should have been seen," said Dr. Yves Robert, secretary of the college.

The review doesn't mean there were definite errors, but the college is erring on the side of caution, Robert said.

Other radiologists will be asked to review every test flagged for potential problems. Patients won't be required to undergo another mammogram.

The professional body implemented a new quality control program two years ago after a scandal overerroneous pathology test results for hormone markers linked to breast cancer.

Patients will receive a letter in the coming months informing them of when their results will be re-examined, Robert said.

It will take at least six months for the review.

"If we find discrepancies and things that have to be followed up, there will be fast-track access to the kind of treatments and follow-up needed by each condition," assured Robert.

Interpretation errors are unfortunate but possibly inevitable, he added.

"It's exactly the kind of thing that can happen because we rely on humans that have to not miss lesions that may be very hard to identify."

The mammogram review, announced Thursday, is proof that the quality control is working, said Quebec Health Minister Yves Bolduc.

The radiologist in question, whose identity is not being released, is very skilled at analyzing other types of diagnostic scans, the college said. But he was off the mark with mammograms.