1. A method for detecting clustered microcalcifications in a digital mammogram image by digital processing comprising, in sequence, the steps of: a) optimizing a value for a predetermined filtering algorithm parameter; b) filtering a digital mammogram image to produce a filtered image comprising essentially microcalcifications; c) thresholding the filtered image from step b) to produce a thresholded image; d) forming clusters of microcalcifications in the thresholded image from step c); and e) inputting the identified clusters of microcalcifications to a classifier to distinguish suspicious clusters of microcalcifications from nonsuspicious clusters of microcalcifications; wherein said step a) comprises: i) providing an optimizing algorithm; ii) providing a database of training images; and iii) inputting the database of training images into said optimizing algorithm to determine an optimum value for said predetermined filtering algorithm parameter; and wherein said step b) comprises: i) providing a filtering algorithm incorporating the optimized predetermined filtering algorithm parameter; and ii) applying the filtering algorithm to the digital mammogram image to produce a filtered image comprising essentially microcalcifications.