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%.
How to Successfully Launch a CCTA Program at Your Hospital or Practice
June 11th 2025Emphasizing increasing recognition of the capability of coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) for the evaluation of acute and stable chest pain, this author defuses common misperceptions and reviews key considerations for implementation of a CCTA program.
New PSMA PET Prep Product Now Available in the U.S.
June 11th 2025Offering an extended shelf life, the FDA-approved Gozellix, a preparation kit for gallium-68 (68Ga) gozetotide injection, is indicated for use in PSMA PET imaging of prostate cancer patients with suspected recurrence or metastasis.
