How radiologists describe finding breast cancer in mammograms. Malpractice fears are killing this field. Patients lose again:

In short, radiologists are afraid of being sued, and there’s evidence that they have more reason to worry than providers in other areas of medicine.

Missed breast cancer is the most common basis for medical malpractice lawsuits in the United States, according to the Physician Insurers Association of America, a trade group of medical malpractice insurance carriers.

And it’s among the most expensive kind of malpractice cases. In a seven-year period ending in 2002, PIAA members spent almost $200 million on breast cancer malpractice cases. That was $30 million more than was spent during the previous six years.

But, experts say, the problem is not inept radiologists, although there are certainly some of those.

Instead, the problem is a misconception about the effectiveness of mammography.