Breast Imaging

A new study published in Radiology found that direct digital radiography (DDR), is the more effective digital mammography option when compared to computed radiography.

Just this week, the New York Times published an op-ed by Angelina Jolie entitled 'My Medical Choice' on her decision to undergo a double mastectomy after discovering she was a carrier the “faulty” gene, BRCA1. The gene, which sharply increases a carriers risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer, affects each of its female carriers differently.

Laws requiring that women be notified of their mammographic breast density now exist in six states. In California this law took effect on April 1, 2013. From that date forward, whenever a radiologist interprets a mammogram and reports that a woman has dense breasts, the woman must receive a letter from the imaging facility explaining that her breast tissue is dense.

A new study presented at RSNA 2012 analyzed the records of approximately 250,000 women and found that increased CT utilization over a ten year period could result in an increase in breast cancer risk for certain women.

A recent analysis featured in The Lancet showed that screening mammography results in a 20 percent relative risk reduction. But, it was a bit off the mark when discussing overdiagnosis versus overtreatment.

A recent UCSF study published in the August issue of Radiology confirms the benefit of undergoing semiannual surveillance mammography following breast-conserving therapy as opposed to the existing guide-lines which recommend annual mammography screening.

New findings show that MRI is more effective than clinical examination for identifying patients whose tumors will respond well to chemotherapy before breast cancer surgery.

New research confirms the effectiveness of medical imaging for breast cancer, when combined with annual screening mammograms for women at elevated- risk for the disease.

A recent study assesses the benefits and harms of screening mammography - the authors’ definitions of ‘benefit’ and ‘harm’. However, the authors fail to refute two critical points.

A study on the correlation between false- positive mammograms and the risk of breast cancer was recently published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute and has received much publicity.