For many women, mammograms are the best way to detect breast cancer early when it is most treatable. However, for women with dense breasts, tumors are more easily missed since both dense tissue and cancerous masses appear white on the x-rays. Now, a new study finds that breast MRI is the best supplemental screening method for women with more glandular and fibrous connective tissue and less fatty tissue.
Researchers reviewed 22 previous investigations that compared the four most common supplemental imaging tests: handheld ultrasound, automated breast ultrasound, digital breast tomosynthesis, and breast MRI. Among the participants—more than 132,000 women who had dense breasts and a negative mammogram—the supplemental tests found 541 new cancers in this group. The results showed that breast MRI was far superior to the other methods for cancer detection.
The researchers say that while these results are promising, more research is needed. One author emphasizes that before advocating for the wider application of breast MRI in these women, further evaluation of the cost-effectiveness of breast MRI compared to other techniques, its effect on mortality reduction, and other factors will need to be studied. According to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, 40 to 50% of women in the U.S. have dense breasts.
