New Screening Guidelines for Women at High Risk for Breast Cancer, From Harvard Women’s Health Watch

BOSTON, Sept. 27 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — New guidelines from the American Cancer Society (ACS) recommend that women at very high risk for breast cancer receive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) along with annual mammography, reports the October 2007 issue of Harvard Women’s Health Watch.

In one recent study comparing MRI, mammography, and ultrasound in 171 women whose lifetime risk of breast cancer was very high (20% or more), MRI proved best at finding cancer. Of the six cancers diagnosed, MRI detected all six, mammography only two, and ultrasound only one. Only MRI detected the four cancers found in women with dense breast tissue.

Even so, the ACS and other groups don’t recommend routine MRI screening for women at average risk, for reasons such as these:

   –It leads to too many unnecessary biopsies. MRI picks up any abnormal     tissue, whether cancerous or not.   –Mammography is getting better all the time. Digital mammography works     better than traditional mammography in women with dense breast tissue     and is becoming increasingly available.   –MRI has limitations. It can’t be performed on women with pacemakers or     implantable cardioverter-defibrillators, and its ability to detect some     early cancers is limited. It also isn’t widely available.   –It’s expensive. And insurance won’t pay for it for women at average risk.   –It’s unclear whether MRI helps women live longer. The most important     outcome of any screening test is improved survival. We don’t know yet if     using MRI helps women live longer.   

For most woman over 40, having an annual mammogram and clinical breast exam is still the best way to catch early-stage, highly treatable cancers, says Harvard Women’s Health Watch.

   Also in this issue:        –Recovering from a stroke       –New way to measure triglycerides       –By the way, doctor: Is palm oil good for you? Should I take         antibiotics to prevent urinary tract infections? Should I get         the shingles vaccine?   

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Harvard Women’s Health Watch

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