Study: MRI Superior to Mammography for High-Risk Breast Cancer Screening

Breast MRI appears to be superior to mammography and ultrasound for screening women at high risk for hereditary breast cancer, according to researchers at the University of Toronto.

Researchers developed a study to compare breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with ultrasound, mammography, and physical examination in women at high risk for hereditary breast cancer.

A total of 196 women, ages 25 to 59, with proven BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations or strong family histories of breast or ovarian cancer were screened with mammography, ultrasound, MRI and clinical breast exams on a single day. A biopsy was performed when a possible malignancy was discovered.

In their study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, researchers report finding 6 invasive breast cancers and 1 noninvasive breast cancer in the patient group. Five of the invasive cancers were found in the mutation carriers, and the sixth was found in a woman with a previous history of breast cancer. The prevalence of invasive or noninvasive breast cancer in the mutation carriers was 6.2 percent.

MRI found all 6 of the invasive cancers, all tumors were 1 cm or less in diameter and all tumors were node negative. Only 3 invasive cancers were found using ultrasound, 2 by mammography and 2 by physical exam. The addition of MRI to the mammography, ultrasound and physical exam screenings identified 2 additional invasive breast cancers that would have been missed otherwise.

Other Sources: Journal of Clinical Oncology