Breast MRI – Should all women have this test
Wednesday, November 30th, 2011
Patients often ask me: “Should I get an MRI? ” (magnetic resonance imaging). The answer from me is: “Only if you want it. ” Why should we Not all get breast MRI? All things considered, we know that mammograms and ultrasounds do fail to grab some breast cancers. MRI is the latest, priciest modality in breast imaging. Oahu is the best, could it be not? Well, clearly, the benefit of MRI is that it is able to see everything and anything. The issue with MRI also is that it is able to see everything and anything. When an “abnormality” is detected on MRI, sure it may turn out to be breast cancer. But it may also turn out to be among the numerous completely benign conditions, such as fibroadenoma, cyst, fibrocystic, infection, breast actives from menses or lactation, bruising from trauma, scar from previous surgery or needle biopsy, previous radiation, etc. The only real sure approach to telling cancer from benign is always to subject the patient to an invasive biopsy to acquire tissue from the MRI breast abnormality. So, if you wish to get yourself a breast MRI, you ought to be mentally prepared for the biopsy which will be recommended by your doctor if the MRI shows an “abnormality”. Since the MRI is so good at seeing everything and anything, there exists a good chance an “abnormality” will be revealed. Afterwards, we call these benign biopsies unnecessary as the “abnormality” is really a false positive finding. But before the biopsy result comes home as benign, it certainly was very necessary, because no patient and definitely no doctor really wants to let an “abnormality” go unchecked. The answer to who needs an MRI is not always simple. The existing guidelines advise breast MRI for the following women: 1) Lifetime breast cancer risk 25% or higher 2) BRCA (breast cancer gene) carrier 3) First-degree relative of a BRCA carrier, if the first-degree is not tested for the gene 4) Previous radiation to chest between age 10 and 30 (for non-breast cancer reasons) 5) New diagnosis of breast cancer 6) Silicone breast implants There are certain women who may require a breast MRI, although these women may well not meet any of the above criteria. Your choice for a breast MRI should be made jointly with a physician, on an individual patient basis, so your “pros” and the “cons” can be discussed in advance. It must be emphasized that MRI is an adjunct to mammography, not a replacement. Normal-risk women age 40 or higher needs to have yearly mammogram and physical examination. High-risk women needs to have an individualized plan, based on the individual’s specific breast cancer risk(s) as well as other non-breast medical condition(s). Dr. Mai Brooks is really a surgical oncologist/general surgeon, with expertise in early detection and prevention of cancer. More at www. drbrooksmd. com, thecancerexperience. wordpress. com and progressreportoncancer. wordpress. com.