Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

September 6, 2008 12:26:13 AM CDT

Learn about Newser Points »

« Back to the grid | Next story »

MRIs Beat Mammograms at Spotting Earliest Breast Cancer

Posted Aug 10, 07 10:07 AM CDT in Science & Health,  Technology 

(Newser) – MRIs significantly outperform mammograms in detecting pockets of abnormal cells that can lead to full-blown breast cancer, and the costly scans should be used routinely to save more women's lives, researchers say. A new study out today says MRIs detected 92% of the early lesions, called ductal carcinoma in situ, while mammograms found only 57%, the Guardian reports.

If all such lesions could be detected "you would prevent virtually all cases of breast cancer," said the lead researcher. But other specialists say results were skewed because study participants were high-risk women with a genetic predisposition to breast cancer. They also caution that MRIs would overdiagnose a condition that doesn't lead to breast cancer in an estimated 75% of cases.

Source Guardian (UK)

0 comments | Print E-mail | Digg Seed this on Newsvine Add this link to Del.icio.us StumbleUpon

Related Newser Stories

  • Cancer Vaccine Shows Promise

    Jun 24, 08 5:11 PM CDT
    Cancer Vaccine Shows Promise Encouraging results in experiments on mice are raising hopes of an effective colon cancer vaccine, Reuters reports. Capitalizing on the fact that the intestines have their own immune system, researchers isolated a protein that occurs only in the gut to create a vaccine. In treated mice, an average of three tumors appeared in the lungs or liver. In unvaccinated mice, the number was 30. More »

  • Drug Therapy Cuts Risk of Breast Cancer Relapse

    Mar 11, 08 7:16 AM CDT
    Drug Therapy Cuts Risk of Breast Cancer Relapse New research shows that women can cut the risk of breast cancer recurring years later by taking certain drugs, the Washington Post reports. Studies show that the drugs, known as aromatase inhibitors, sharply reduced the risk of cancer's return after women had finished their regimen of the widely used tamoxifen. The findings could dramatically change the treatments breast cancer survivors are given. More »

  • Hormone Therapy Skews Diagnosis

    Feb 26, 08 11:55 AM CST
    Hormone Therapy Skews Diagnosis Women who use hormone replacement therapy to combat menopause symptoms are more likely to get false mammogram results and have unneeded biopsies, new research shows. The UCLA analysis of an earlier study of more than 16,000 women found that 35% of those on hormones received skewed test results, as opposed to 23% of women on a placebo, Reuters reports. More »

  • Mammograms Hard to Read Even When There's a Lump

    Dec 12, 07 10:23 AM CST
    Mammograms Hard to Read Even When There's a Lump The accuracy of mammograms is highly dependent on the radiologist reading them, not only in finding easy-to-miss tumors but in diagnosing visible lumps, reports Reuters. "On average, 21 percent of breast cancers were missed and 4.3 percent of women underwent a biopsy even though they didn't have breast cancer," said the lead researcher. More »

  • 'Smart Bra' Developing as Cancer Detector

    Oct 5, 07 8:00 AM CDT
    'Smart Bra' Developing as Cancer Detector Lingerie is about to become a lifesaver. UK researchers are developing a bra that would detect breast cancer, and hope to stitch the same technology into briefs that spot prostate cancer, reports the Discovery Channel. Serving as an early-warning system, the underwear would monitor temperature changes between areas of internal tissue, often an indication of cancerous tumors. More »

Breast cancer survivors cheer during the Parade of Pink before the start of the 2007 Susan G. Komen National Race for the Cure Saturday, June 2, 2007, in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)   (Associated Press)
Dr. Murray Rebner reviews a mammogram done using digital technology at Beaumont Hospital in Michigan.   (KRT Photos)
This example mammogram shows the presence of breast cancer, as identified by the white arrow. New evidence suggests that MRI's might be more effective at detecting cancer in its earliest stages.   (Wikimedia Commons)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
Our editors also recommend:

Related coverage

More breast cancer news

Threads (1 of 2)

Tags

cancer  • breast cancer  • medical research  • cancer research  • mammogram  • MRI  • oncology


Loading...

Premium Articles from HighBeam

Find more articles like this

Today's Most Popular


Other Home Stories

What is Newser?

2008 Codie Finalist

Newser gives you more news in less time. We search for the best and most important stories all over the web, read them for you, and deliver concise and sharp summaries—along with links to the full text. Newser provides a way to stay on top of an ever-expanding horizon of news and opinion—politics, sports, business, trends, technology, personalities, crimes, and controversies. Newser keeps you not just better informed, but, with our signature graphic interface and smart condensed format, more enjoyably informed.

Learn more »