High-resolution breast magnetic resonance imaging (breast MRI) is a powerful imaging modality to be used in conjunction with mammography. Breast MRI is predominantly reserved for high-risk breast cancer patients or as a problem solving tool. This includes patients with known breast cancer, patients with a breast cancer gene or patients with a high-risk lesion or prior breast biopsy. Breast cancer detection hinges on the fact that malignant tissue shows greater blood flow than surrounding normal breast tissue.
Therefore, cancer obscured by dense breast tissue on a mammogram may often appear clearly on breast MRI. Scottsdale Medical Imaging (SMIL) participated in the first National Institute of Health multicenter trial proving the efficacy of breast MRI in breast cancer stating. SMIL remains a referral site for breast surgeons throughout the Southwest. Breast MRI is also the “gold standard” for evaluation of breast implant rupture.
The American Cancer Society (ACS) recommends women who are at-risk for breast cancer (those with a family history of breast cancer of the mutated BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene) receive an annual breast MRI in addition to an annual mammogram. A breast MRI can help detect breast cancer in dense breast tissue that may have been missed by a mammogram and has been proven to reduce mortality (death rates from breast cancer) in high-risk patients. Breast MRI is also more sensitive at detecting abnormalities, allowing radiologists to find cancer earlier than ever before. See your doctor to determine if a breast MRI is right for you.