Breast MR imaging aids high-risk women
Once again, MRI has outrun other modalities as a supplemental tool for screening high-risk women.
A large prospective screening trial from the University of Pennsylvania compared screen-film mammography, digital mammography, whole-breast ultrasound, and contrast-enhanced MRI in a population of 569 asymptomatic women. In this single-center trial, funded by the National Cancer Institute, the definition of high risk included women with a 25% lifetime risk based on genetic testing or Gail or Claus models and those with a history of cancer in the contralateral breast.
Of 95 lesions recommended for biopsy, 11 were malignant (11.6%). Seven of the 11 cancers were seen on only one modality: one with digital mammography and six with MRI alone. No cases were seen on either screen-film mammography or ultrasound alone.
"In our study, MRI detected the highest percentage of clinically occult breast cancers in a high-risk population, more than digital mammography, ultrasound, and screen-film mammography," said RSNA meeting presenter Dr. Lily Kernagis, a fellow in women's imaging at Penn.
Follow-up was carried out for one to three years and revealed no new breast cancer diagnoses. Based on the results and follow-up, multimodality screening had a negative predictive value of 100%, sensitivity of 100%, and specificity of 84.9%.
Emerging AI Algorithm Shows Promise for Abbreviated Breast MRI in Multicenter Study
April 25th 2025An artificial intelligence algorithm for dynamic contrast-enhanced breast MRI offered a 93.9 percent AUC for breast cancer detection, and a 92.3 percent sensitivity in BI-RADS 3 cases, according to new research presented at the Society for Breast Imaging (SBI) conference.
The Reading Room Podcast: Current Perspectives on the Updated Appropriate Use Criteria for Brain PET
March 18th 2025In a new podcast, Satoshi Minoshima, M.D., Ph.D., and James Williams, Ph.D., share their insights on the recently updated appropriate use criteria for amyloid PET and tau PET in patients with mild cognitive impairment.
Can Abbreviated Breast MRI Have an Impact in Assessing Post-Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Response?
April 24th 2025New research presented at the Society for Breast Imaging (SBI) conference suggests that abbreviated MRI is comparable to full MRI in assessing pathologic complete response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer.
Clarius Mobile Health Unveils Anterior Knee Feature for Handheld Ultrasound
April 23rd 2025The T-Mode Anterior Knee feature reportedly offers a combination of automated segmentation and real-time conversion of grayscale ultrasound images into color-coded visuals that bolster understanding for novice ultrasound users.
