MRI Better in Detecting Breast Cancer
August 1, 2007
Screening MRI had a higher rate of breast cancer detection than either mammography or ultrasound screening in high-risk women, but it nearly quadrupled the biopsy rate, researchers here found.
The diagnostic yield was 3.5% with MRI, 1.2% with mammography, and 0.6% on ultrasound, reported Constance D. Lehman, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of Washington, in the August issue of Radiology.
"Although the specificity of MRI was lower than that of mammography or clinical breast examination (89.8%, 95.0%, and 98.1%, respectively), the overall accuracy of MRI was significantly higher," wrote Dr. Lehman and colleagues.
In their multi-center study, investigators compared the three screening modalities in 171 asymptomatic women who were confirmed carriers of a BRCA1 and/or BRA2 mutation or had at least a 20% chance of carrying the mutation.
MRI Beats Mammography or Ultrasound at Detecting Breast Cancer
