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CancerQuest > Introduction to Patient Information > Introduction to Cancer Detection and Diagnosis > Introduction to MRI > Cancer Specific MRI: Breast

Cancer Specific MRI: Breast

Research is being conducted to investigate the benefits of MRI as a screening tool for breast cancer detection (as a companion to mammography, ultrasound, and other techniques). Although MRI is not recommended as a substitute for mammography, a study done in 2004 found that in women with an inherited susceptibility to cancer (history of breast cancer in the family), MRI was more sensitive than mammography in detecting tumors.⁽¹⁾

Another earlier study from 2001 found that breast MRI was capable of detecting early breast cancer with 94%-100% sensitivity. Additionally, out of 196 women who were at high risk for hereditary breast cancer, MRI was able to identify six stage I invasive cancers and one non-invasive cancer, but ultrasound only detected three invasive cancers, mammography found two, and physical examination identified two. This study provided evidence that mammography may be less sensitive that MRI in detecting breast cancer for women carrying BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations.⁽²⁾

Hartman et al. performed a study in 2004 in which they compared MRI and mammography in women at high genetic risk for breast carcinoma. They also found that breast MRI was able to detect high-grade ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and high-risk lesions that mammography missed. Malignant lesions were found with MRI in three out of forty-one women while none were identified by mammography.⁽³⁾   These studies indicate that in some women, MR imaging is a better screening method than mammography. It is important to remember that the low specificity of MRI (which in most studies is between 50%-70%) is a major disadvantage because it results in unnecessary follow-up procedures.⁽⁴⁾
Over the last ten years, MRI technology has significantly improved yielding better image resolution and improved biopsy potential. Because physicians have gained more experience with breast MRI, they are now more skilled at interpreting the images.

Additionally, in the past, there have been cases in which physicians would suspect that their patients' distant metastases originated from a breast tumor. However, if the physicians were unable to detect the tumor with a physical exam or mammogram, the patients may have to have mastectomies. The availability of higher resolution images from MRI means that these primary tumors can be found more easily, and patients' breasts can be conserved.⁽⁵⁾

References for this page:

1. Kriege, M. et. al. "Efficacy of MRI and Mammography for Breast-Cancer Screening in Women with a Familial or Genetic Predisposition." N Engl J Med. 2004 Jul 29;351(5):427-37. [PUBMED]
2. Warner, E. et. al. "Comparison of Breast Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Mammography, and Ultrasound for Surveillance of Women at High Risk for Hereditary Breast Cancer." Journal of Clinical Oncology. 2001 Aug 1; 19(15): 3524-31. [PUBMED]
3. Hartman, AR. et al. "Breast magnetic resonance image screening and ductal lavage in women at high genetic risk for breast carcinoma." Cancer. 2004 Feb 1;100(3):479-89. [PUBMED]
4. Macura, K.J. "Patterns of Enhancement on Breast MR Images: Interpretation and Imaging Pitfalls." Radiographics. 2006 Nov-Dec;26(6):1719-34; quiz 1719. Review. [PUBMED]
5. Buchanan, C. L. et al. "Utility of Breast Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Patients with Occult Primary Breast Cancer." Ann Surg Oncol. 2005 Dec; 12(12): 1045-53. Epub 2005 Oct 25. [PUBMED]