History-based breast MR generates high yields

Screening women with breast MRI based solely on a personal history of breast cancer found malignancies in 12% of the women studied, with a positive predictive value biopsy rate of 39%.

A retrospective review of 1699 breast MRI exams performed from 1999 to 2001 yielded 144 women with prior breast cancer who started regular breast MRI screening. Of the 144 women, 31% underwent biopsies prompted by MRI (AJR 2010;195:510-516).

Sixty-one biopsies found 17 carcinomas and one myxoid liposarcoma. The 10 detected by MRI were more likely than the other seven to be ductal carcinoma in situ or node-negative invasive breast cancer <1 cm in size.