Dear Women's Imaging Insider,
At ECR 2015 in Vienna, delegates learned how BRCA carriers often present with interval cancers. Up to 25% of cancers may not be detected by screening modalities. What can be done for these women? A Dutch group added automated breast ultrasound to their screening regimen. Did it detect more cancers? Find out.
Digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) made quite a splash at ECR 2015. We've discussed what's ahead for the modality, along with other trends from the meeting.
Speaking of DBT, Italian researchers reported that double reading of DBT plus digital mammography reduces the recall rate by 40% when compared with mammography alone. Read more about the study.
Breast MRI already has high sensitivity, but can it be even higher? The answer is yes, if computer-aided detection (CAD) is thrown into the mix. In fact, CAD detected previously missed cancers nearly as well as it did screen-detected cancers, Dutch researchers found.
There's a lot happening in the field of breast MRI -- and breast CT too. Unenhanced MRI may simplify the approach to breast MRI by omitting costs, time effort, and potential side effects related to contrast agents, including circulation-related effects, allergies, and nephrogenic systemic fibrosis, ECR delegates learned. In the same session, Dr. Willi Kalender, PhD, discussed dedicated breast CT.
CT can offer imaging that's free of superimposition issues, with a very high spatial resolution of 100 µm or better in all three dimensions, dose levels low enough to conform with mammographic screening regulations, dynamic imaging with contrast when indicated, and integrated biopsy capabilities, he explained. Read what else he had to say.
Also, groundbreaking Finnish research has shown the long-term benefits of breast cancer screening in older age groups include lower incidence-based mortality and only a minor risk of overdiagnosis.
There's more -- much more -- in your Women's Imaging Community, so be sure to check it all out. And be on the lookout tomorrow, because we're posting a news report about award-winning work from Portugal about fibroid embolization.
Do you have a suggestion, tip, or comment? Drop me a line -- I always enjoy hearing from you.
