MRI recommended for US women with high risk of breast cancer:
The American Cancer Society (ACS) has issued a new guideline recommending that women who are at high risk of developing breast cancer get magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans alongside their annual mammograms. The new guideline, published in the journal CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, is based on scientific evidence on breast MRI that has become available since the last guidelines were issued in 2003.
The ACS recommends MRI scanning on top of mammograms for women who have a BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation, or a strong family history of breast or ovarian cancer. It also recommends this approach for women who have other genetic conditions that increase the risk of breast cancer, such as Li-Fraumeni syndrome, Cowden syndrome or Bannayan-Riley-Ruvalcaba syndrome.
MRI scans are more sensitive than conventional mammograms and their combined use provides a better chance of detecting breast cancer in the early stages, when treatment is easier. However, their use in breast cancer screening has only so far been recommended for those women who are considered to be at high risk. This is because the increased sensitivity of MRI scans can lead to more false positives than traditional mammograms. Dr Kirsty Russell, chair of the Breast Cancer Advisory Group and one of the authors of the new guideline said, 'those false-positives, which can lead to a high number of avoidable biopsies, can create fear, anxiety, and adverse health effects, making it imperative to carefully select those women who should be screened using this technology’.
In the UK, all women over 50 are offered a mammogram every three years, while those at moderate or high risk of breast cancer are advised to start going for annual mammograms in their forties.
Sources:
ACS Advises MRIs for Some at High Risk of Breast Cancer: ACS: 28/3/07
American Cancer Society Guidelines for Breast Screening with MRI as an Adjunct to Mammography: CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians: March/April 2007 issue