A newly developed breast MRI exam protocol, the first of its kind being offered in the Pacific Northwest, is now being performed at Via Radiology in north Seattle.

Fifty percent of women over the age of 40 have dense breast tissue, which significantly reduces the ability to detect cancer on mammograms.

MRI is a powerful tool in its ability to detect early breast cancer and is not affected by dense breast tissue.

However, due to its high cost, breast MRI has until now only been recommended for screening women who are at high risk.

The new Abbreviated MR (AB-MR) protocol distills traditional breast MRI to its essential components which can therefore be performed more quickly and affordably compared with traditional breast MRI.

Importantly, data published in the Journal of the American College of Radiology shows that this new protocol is equivalent in accuracy to the traditional exam.

“Mammography is no match for AB-MR,” said Dr. Craig Hanson, president and CEO of Via Radiology and medical director of Seattle Breast Center at UW Medicine/Northwest Hospital & Medical Center. “On average, mammograms detect four to five cancers per 1,000 women screened, whereas breast MRI detects 16-23 more cancers per 1,000 women screened, the lower end of the range being in women who are at average risk of getting breast cancer.”

The sensitivity of mammography in dense-breasted women is only 38 percent, meaning up to 62 percent of cancers may go undetected until they are discovered as a palpable lump.

As a result, there is an excess of late-stage disease and mortality in these women.

Dr. Hanson added, “Breast ultrasound is also no match for AB-MR. It only detects two to three more cancers per 1,000 average-risked women screened, and at the cost of a high false positive rate, meaning lots of unnecessary biopsies.”

While there have been major advances in breast cancer treatment, the stage at the time of diagnosis remains the most important factor in survival. Finding a breast cancer early also means less debilitating and costly treatment.

“Via Radiology is proud to be the first in the Northwest - and one of the first in the country - to implement low cost AB-MR,” said Dr. Hanson.

At less than $500, AB-MR now provides a viable, highly accurate alternative method for screening women at any risk, especially those with dense breast tissue.

“We can now use the best tool we have at a reasonable cost to screen these women,” said Dr. Hanson.

Source: BusinessWire