Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

For certain women at high risk for breast cancer, screening MRI is recommended along
with a yearly mammogram. It is not generally recommended as a screening tool by itself,
because although it is a sensitive test, it may still miss some cancers that mammograms
would detect.(For more details on how a breast MRI is done, see the section, "How is
breast cancer diagnosed?")
MRI is more sensitive in detecting cancers than mammograms, but it is more likely to
find something that turns out not to be cancer (called a false positive).These false positive
findings have to be checked out to know that cancer isn’t present, which means coming
back for further tests and/or biopsies. This is why MRI is not recommended as a
screening test for women at average risk of breast cancer, as it would result in unneeded
biopsies and other tests in a large portion of these women.
Just as mammography uses x-ray machines that are specially designed to image the
breasts, breast MRI also requires special equipment. Breast MRI machines produce
higher quality images of the breast than MRI machines designed for head, chest, or
abdominal scanning. However, many hospitals and imaging centers do not have
dedicated breast MRI equipment available. It is important that screening MRIs be done at
facilities that can perform an MRI-guided breast biopsy. Otherwise, the entire scan will
need to be repeated at another facility when the biopsy is done.
MRI is more expensive than mammography. Most insurance that pays for mammogram
screening will also pay for MRI screening if a woman can be shown to be at high risk,
but it's a good idea to check first with your insurance company before having the test. At
this time there are concerns about costs of and limited access to high-quality MRI breast
screening services for women at high risk of breast cancer. It can help to go to a center
with a high-risk clinic, where the staff can help getting approval for breast MRIs