Study: MRI More Accurate Than Mammography for Younger Women

MRI may be more accurate than mammography in annual breast cancer screening of women with a hereditary risk of breast cancer, according to researchers at University Medical Center St. Radboud, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.

Although breast cancer screening is recommended for women at a younger age if they have a hereditary risk of breast cancer, the sensitivity of mammography for these women is reduced.

Researchers compared MRI with mammography to determine which is more sensitive and whether MRI could play a part in the early detection of breast cancer for these women.

Researchers studied 179 women , and scored 258 MRI images and the 262 mammograms to indicate the level of suspicion of a lesion.

In their study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, the researchers report that 13 breast cancers were detected in the 179 women. Seven of the cancers were not revealed by mammography but all were detected by MRI.

Researchers conclude that MRI may be more accurate than mammography in screening women with a hereditary risk of breast cancer and further studies to examine the role of MRI in screening programs are justified.

Other sources: Journal of the National Cancer Institute