A method for determining the presence or absence of malignant features in medical images, wherein a plurality of base comparison or training images of various types of lesions taken of actual patient is examined by one or more image reading experts to create a first database array. Low-level features of each of the lesions in the same plurality of base comparisons or training images are determined using one or more image processing algorithms to obtain a second database array set. The first and second database array set are combined to create a training database array set which is input to a learning system that discovers/learns a classifier that maps from a subset of the low-level features to the expert's evaluation in the first database array set. The classifier is used to determine the presence of a particular mid-level feature in an image of lesion in a patient based solely on the image.