Breast MRI

Breast MRI is an exciting new breakthrough in breast cancer detection. This non-invasive procedure is used to analyze the inside of the breast without using x-rays or flattening the breast as in mammography. Each exam produces hundreds of cross-sectional images, which are then read by a radiologist.

Breast MRI has been shown to detect small lesions that are sometimes missed by mammography. And, MRI can effectively image breasts of women under 40 years old, which are often considered too dense for analysis by mammography.

Are You a Candidate for Breast MRI?

As with every medical procedure, Breast MRI is not right for everyone. Your physician will make the best determination if you are a good candidate for Breast MRI. However, if you are a good candidate, you will usually fit into one of the following profiles:

• Breast cancer history; personal or family (especially premenopausal cancer in first degree relative – mother, sister, or daughter)
• BRCA mutation present
• Prior breast cancer in either breast
• Personal history of other, non-breast cancers (especially Hodgkin Lymphoma)
• Personal history of organ transplant (kidney, heart, lung, etc.)
• Hormone replacement therapy
• Previous biopsy-proved hyperplasia with cellular atypia or lobular carcinoma-in-situ
• Women with dense breasts

Benefits of Breast MRI

As medical technology advances, so do the benefits it provides patients and physicians. The Breast MRI is:

• Useful in screening women at high risk for breast cancer
• Highly sensitive to small abnormalities
• Used effectively in dense breasts
• Can evaluate inverted nipples for evidence of cancer
• Can evaluate the extent of breast cancer
• Can help determine what type of surgery is indicated
• May detect breast cancer recurrence and residual tumors after lumpectomy
• Can locate primary tumor in women whose cancer has spread to axillary lymph nodes
• Can spot or characterize small abnormalities missed by mammography
• Able to image breast implants and ruptures