AI-based triage and decision support in mammography and digital tomosynthesis for breast cancer screening: a paired, noninferiority trial.
Elías-Cabot E, Romero-Martín S, Raya-Povedano JL, Rodríguez-Ruiz A, Álvarez-Benito M
Paper source
AI-based triage and decision support in mammography and digital tomosynthesis for breast cancer screening: a paired, noninferiority trial.
This rigor review was examined and confirmed by Adcurare Editorial · July 6, 2026
How this rating was calculated▸
- IntegrityIntegrity concern−0.5★
- ReportingStudy design partially met−0.25★
- ReportingBiological variables partially met−0.25★
- No reported statistical tests were found to recompute.
- Biological variables underreported (sex, age, strain)
- Study-design details incomplete (controls, blinding, power)
- Internal contradictions in the reported numbers
This Adcurare Rigor Review uses AI Rigor Reviewers trained on a curated corpus of high-fidelity and retracted papers, with expert supervision and curation. It can still make mistakes; verify each finding against the source before relying on it.
The paper presents a well-conceived prospective trial with generally sound methodology, but several reporting gaps reduce confidence: blinding of radiologists is not described, missing-data handling is not pre-specified, biological variable reporting (weight, health status, race/ethnicity) is incomplete, ethical compliance lacks explicit reference to international standards, and the statistical analysis code is not shared. A minor typo in Table 3 and imprecise p-values should also be corrected.
Three independent reviewers evaluated all eight dimensions, supplemented by a copyedit pass and verification components (citations, statistics, reproducibility, preregistration, integrity, claim audit). The statistics verification had 0 tests recomputed (no test statistics with df or effect estimates with CIs were identified), so statistical correctness is not verified beyond internal consistency. The integrity flag for Table 3 denominator discrepancy is addressed in actions.
12 major claims checked against the paper's own evidence: all adequately supported.
1 integrity concern flagged (0 high).
5 copyedit issues flagged: mostly consistency, clarity.
Checked 33 references: 28 verified — 5 not checked.
4 data/code links checked; 4 live.
Registered (2 IDs: ClinicalTrials.gov). No reporting guideline cited.
Ready after minor to moderate edits. The most consequential rigor gaps (blinding description, missing-data handling, code sharing) should be addressed before submission. The copyedit issues (NTC typo, Table 3 denominator) must be fixed. With these changes, the manuscript is suitable for journal submission.
- 1.HIGHrigorAdd a statement describing blinding of radiologists to the AI strategy and AI output, or explicitly state that blinding was not feasible and discuss potential bias (Methods, Study design/Procedures).Lack of blinding description is a major rigor gap that reviewers will flag; transparency about the open-label nature is essential.
- 2.HIGHrigorPre-specify the handling of missing data and define the analysis population (ITT vs per-protocol) in the Methods (Statistical analyses section).Without this, the analysis approach is ambiguous and the study's conclusions are less robust.
- 3.HIGHdata codeDeposit the statistical analysis R scripts (or equivalent) in a public repository (e.g., Zenodo or GitHub) alongside the dataset, with a reference in the Code availability statement.Full reproducibility requires the analysis code; its absence limits the utility of the open dataset.
- 4.HIGHcopyeditCorrect the registration number typo: change 'NTC04949776' to 'NCT04849776' wherever it appears (Methods, Clinical trial design).An incorrect registration number undermines traceability and could lead to rejection.
- 5.HIGHcopyeditCorrect the denominator in Table 3 for DBT screening readings: change 13,986 to 13,968 to match the text and Table 1.This internal inconsistency (also flagged by integrity verification) must be resolved before submission.
- 6.HIGHreportingProvide exact p-values (e.g., P=0.0007) instead of inequalities (P<0.001) for all primary outcomes in Table 2, or add a footnote explaining the convention.Threshold p-values reduce informativeness and are considered inadequate by most journals.
- 7.HIGHethicsAdd a statement of compliance with the Declaration of Helsinki (or ICH-GCP) in the Ethics approval section (Methods).Current HIPAA compliance alone is insufficient for an international clinical trial; this omission may concern reviewers.
- 8.MEDIUMrigorReport participants' weight and health status (or explicitly state that these were not collected and acknowledge as a limitation).Biological variable reporting is incomplete; weight and health status are standard demographic variables.
- 9.MEDIUMrigorProvide individual-level race/ethnicity data if collected, or justify their omission and discuss generalizability limitations (Methods/Table 1).The current descriptive statement ('majority Caucasian') is insufficient for transparency of the study population.
- 10.MEDIUMreportingExplicitly cite the CONSORT noninferiority trial checklist (or STROBE) in the Methods, and provide the completed checklist as a supplementary file.While a Nature Portfolio Reporting Summary is linked, naming the guideline improves transparency and meets journal expectations.
- 11.MEDIUMrigorDiscuss the open-label nature of the AI strategy and its potential impact on radiologist behavior in the Discussion (Limitations section).Acknowledging this bias strengthens the paper's credibility and preempts reviewer criticism.
- 12.LOWcopyeditRephrase 'not noninferior' in the Abstract to 'did not meet noninferiority criteria' for clarity.Minor clarity improvement for a broader audience.
Adcurare assesses methodological rigor, not the importance of the findings. See how we evaluate →