Abstract
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the breast is primarily used as a supplemental
tool to breast screening with mammography or ultrasound. A breast MRI is mainly used
for women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer, to help measure the size of
the cancer, look for other tumors in the breast, and to check for tumors in the opposite
breast. For certain women at high risk for breast cancer, a screening MRI is recommended
along with a yearly mammogram. MRI is known to give some false positive results which
mean more test and/or biopsies for the patient. Thus, although breast MRI is useful
for women at high risk, it is rarely recommended as a screening test for women at
average risk of breast cancer. Also, breast MRI does not show calcium deposits, known
as micro-calcifications which can be a sign of breast cancer.
Key words
Breast imaging - high-risk screening - identify nonresponders - neo-adjuvant setting
- X-ray mammogram
