Diagnosis of breast cancer using Bayesian networks: a case study

Comput Biol Med. 2007 Nov;37(11):1553-64. doi: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2007.02.003. Epub 2007 Apr 16.

Abstract

We evaluate the effectiveness of seven Bayesian network classifiers as potential tools for the diagnosis of breast cancer using two real-world databases containing fine-needle aspiration of the breast lesion cases collected by a single observer and multiple observers, respectively. The results show a certain ingredient of subjectivity implicitly contained in these data: we get an average accuracy of 93.04% for the former and 83.31% for the latter. These findings suggest that observers see different things when looking at the samples in the microscope; a situation that significantly diminishes the performance of these classifiers in diagnosing such a disease.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Algorithms
  • Bayes Theorem
  • Biopsy, Fine-Needle
  • Breast Neoplasms / diagnosis*
  • Cytodiagnosis / statistics & numerical data
  • Databases, Factual
  • Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted* / statistics & numerical data
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Observer Variation