Ultrasounds, MRIs boost breast cancer diagnosis

Adding ultrasound and MRI imaging to routine mammograms performed in yearly breast cancer screenings can improve diagnosis in high risk women. Among women with a higher cancer risk or dense breast tissue, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) tests can detect 56 percent more breast cancers if used along with mammograms and ultrasound. According to the study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, almost 25 per cent of the women were overdiagnosed - that their disease would not cause any symptoms or death during their lifetime. Scientists at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine examined data of more than 2,600 women who were at a high breast cancer risk. While dense breast tissue may increase the risk of breast cancer, the conundrum is compounded by the fact that mammograms are less likely to detect the disease, highlighted researchers saying that adding ultrasound and MRI can boost the diagnosis. “For women with dense breasts who are at higher risk, cancers tend to be more advanced,” said senior researcher Dr. Wendie Berg whose study appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association. “The combination of ultrasound and mammography is quite effective in finding the cancers.” The study suggested that annual ultrasound screening may detect small, node-negative breast cancers that are not seen on mammography while MRI may reveal additional breast cancers missed by both mammography and ultrasound screening. Overdiagnosis and false-positives have long been parts of the debate among health experts about breast cancer screenings. Some findings suggest that yearly screening and additional imaging may lead to unnecessary patient recalls and biopsies which consume time, money and causes needless worry.