Adding automated breast US to regular screening of women with BRCA mutation and cancer detection.
Automated breast ultrasonography (ABUS) among women with BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation may not be of added value to yearly full-field digital (FFD) mammography and dynamic contrast agent–enhanced (DCE) MR imaging, according to a study published in Radiology.
Researchers from the Netherlands performed a prospective trial to evaluate the surveillance regimen including yearly FFD mammography, DCE MR imaging, and biannual ABUS in women with BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations.
A total of 296 carriers of the BRCA mutation were enrolled in the study between September 2010 and November 2012, with follow-up until November 2015; 153 women were BRCA1 carriers, 128 were BRCA2 carriers, and 15 women had first-degree untested relatives. All women underwent two years of intensified surveillance that included biannual AB US, and routine yearly DCE MR imaging and FFD mammography.
The results showed that breast cancer was detected through screening in 16 women, ranging in age from 33 to 58. Of four cancers found in BRCA1 carriers, three were interval cancers detected by self-examination (all three women were under 43), and one because of a palpable abnormality in the contralateral breast. One incidental breast cancer was detected in a prophylactic mastectomy specimen.
DCE MR imaging and FFD mammography combined yielded the highest sensitivity of 76.3% (16 of 21) and specificity of 93.6% (643 of 691). ABUS did not depict additional cancers; FFD mammography yielded no additional cancers in women younger than 43, the mean age at diagnosis.
Among the women who carried the BRCA2 mutation, sensitivity of FFD mammography with DCE MR imaging surveillance was 90.9% (10 of 11) and 60.0% (six of 10) in carriers of the BRCA1 mutation because of the high interval cancer rate in carriers of the BRCA1 mutation.
The researchers concluded that routinely adding ABUS to yearly screening of women with the BRCA mutation did not add value.
What a New Mammography Study Reveals About BMI, Race, Ethnicity and Advanced Breast Cancer Risk
December 8th 2023In a new study examining population attributable risk proportions (PARPs) based on data from over three million screening mammography exams, researchers found that postmenopausal Black women had the highest BMI-related PARP and premenopausal Asian and Pacific Islander women had the highest breast density-related PARP for advanced breast cancer.
What a New Study Reveals About Adjunctive DBT and Early-Stage Invasive Breast Cancer
December 6th 2023The combination of digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) and digital mammography had a 21.6 higher invasive breast cancer detection rate for stage 1 tumors than digital mammography alone, according to a new study involving nearly 100,000 women.
GE HealthCare Launches AI Mammography Platform with Key Applications from iCAD
November 30th 2023Offering an all-in-one platform of artificial intelligence (AI) applications, MyBreastAI Suite reportedly facilitates early breast cancer detection and enhances efficiency with breast imaging workflows.