Could MRI Help Predict Breast Cancer Risk?

Findings from a new study suggest that magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) could play a bigger role in the screening and prevention of breast cancer.

In a study led by Habib Rahbar, MD, an assistant professor in the department of radiology, breast imaging section at the University of Washington, researchers reviewed screening breast MR images from a group of women at high-risk of breast cancer—age 18 or older, with no history of breast cancer—who were screened between January 2006 and December 2011. According to the authors, the women in the study were at higher risk due to family history, genetic mutations associated with breast cancer, or other factors.
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Rahbar and colleagues searched for associations between cancer risk and imaging features, such as breast density and background parenchymal enhancement (BPE), in which normal background breast tissue appears white or enhanced on magnetic resonance images. The investigators found that women displaying elevated amounts of BPE on MRI scans were 9 times more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer during the study follow-up interval than those who showed no background parenchymal enhancement, or minimal BPE. Meanwhile, mammographic density seemed to have no significant relationship to cancer risk in the study group, according to the authors.

While noting that the study is preliminary, MRI “could be used in conjunction with other factors to more precisely pinpoint a woman’s individual risk of developing breast cancer,” if the findings are validated in larger populations representing a broader risk profile, said Rahbar.

“This could allow primary care physicians to recommend screening and preventive approaches,” he said, “that are tailored to a patient’s true risk.”

—Mark McGraw

Reference

Rahbar H, Dontchos B, et al. Are Qualitative Assessments of Background Parenchymal Enhancement, Amount of Fibroglandular Tissue on MR Images, and Mammographic Density Associated with Breast Cancer Risk? Radiology. 2015.