BREAST MRIs

The American Cancer Society released new guidelines today for women who have an unusually high risk of developing breast cancer. The ACS as well as a new study done at the University of Washington Medical Center are now recommending that women who fall into this category should get annual MRIs in addition to mammograms, and especially in the opposite breast if they have been diagnosed with breast cancer. The MRI scan has the ability to detect cancers that are being missed by mammograms.

Who should get an MRI in addition to the mammogram? The guidelines are directed at symptomless women age 30 and older who have a mutation in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes; those who were treated for Hodgkin's disease; or those with a strong family history of the disease, such as women with two or more close relatives who had breast or ovarian cancer or who have a close relative who developed breast cancer before age 50.

MRI is not being recommended for the majority of women. The test’s error rate is too high to warrant this. Another reason is the proportionately high cost of the MRI test as opposed to a regular mammogram. Many insurers currently cover the cost of a MRI. The feeling is that those who do not will come around shortly because of the new cancer society guidelines. Whatever the difference in the cost, it would still be less expensive than the cost of treating someone for cancer.