(Please also see General FAQs for Breast MRI & Resources.)
Breast MRI has three primary uses:
• Screen High-Risk Women
• Determine Implant Integrity
• Evaluate Known Breast Cancer
High-Risk for Breast Cancer –
In 2007, the American Cancer Society updated its guidelines for breast cancer screening, recommending an annual breast MRI exam in addition to mammography for women determined to be “high-risk”.
Earlier detection and improved treatment have resulted in decreasing death rates, but better methods of earlier detection may improve those rates even further. Breast MRI has emerged as a critical tool in the fight against breast disease.
High-Risk MRI Screening; Do I Need It?
In using MRI for screening, the key is to determine who is at high-risk for breast cancer and, if someone is at high-risk, should they obtain a breast MRI? In the “American Cancer Society recommendations for early breast cancer detection in women without breast symptoms“, the definition of who “should get an MRI and a mammogram every year” and the risk factors are identified for women at high-risk.
Another important factor, in deciding if breast MRI screening should be used, is whether a woman has dense breast tissue. Younger women and women who have dense breast tissue (tissue comprised of more muscle than fat), can be difficult to image using mammography. Studies have shown that breast MRI is more effective in imaging dense breasts.
Naturally, if you have any questions or concerns about your breast health, please contact your physician.
Breast MRI Checklist –
The following are criteria for women who may be at increased risk for breast cancer:
(Note: If any item on this list applies to you, you should talk with your doctor about the benefits and limitations of adding an MRI screening to your yearly mammogram.)
• Do you have a personal or family history of breast and/or ovarian cancer?
• Have you been tested and found to have the BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation?
• Do you have a first-degree relative (parent, brother, sister, or child) with a BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation, and have not had genetic testing yourself?
• Have you had radiation to the chest between the ages of 10 and 30?
• Do you have Li-Fraumeni syndrome, Cowden syndrome, or Bannayan-Riley-Ruvalcaba syndrome, or have one of these syndromes in first-degree relatives?
• Have you been told that you have a lifetime risk of breast cancer of 20% to 25% or greater, according to risk assessment tools based mainly on family history?
• Have you been told that you are at moderately increased lifetime risk (15% to 20%) for developing breast cancer? If yes, you should talk with your doctor about the benefits and limitations of adding a MRI screening to your yearly mammogram.
In addition, breast MRI is used for the following purposes:
• To evaluate implant integrity and detect cancer in women with breast augmentation
• To determine the extent of recently diagnosed cancer
• To monitor cancer therapy
• To assess cancer recurrence in breast cancer survivors
The Aurora Breast MRI system is the only commercially available, FDA-cleared, MRI system designed specifically for 3D bilateral breast imaging.