Bonn Study Suggests a Better Way to Detect DCIS
Researchers at the University of Bonn have completed a five-year study showing MRIs beat standard mammograms for detecting early non-invasive tumors that can eventually turn into breast cancer.
The common tumors are known as ductal carcinoma in situ, or DCIS, and they normally form inside the milk duct of the breast. Scientists believe the majority of breast cancer cases begin when benign DCIS tumors become malignant and spread outside of the duct into the surrounding tissue. If detected early, DCIS tumors and lesions can be surgically removed before they turn cancerous.
Over 7,000 women participated in the study, including 193 diagnosed with DCIS using surgical pathology results. The findings showed that MRIs were able to detect 92 percent of the DCIS cases present in the study group while mammograms revealed only 56 percent.
The American Cancer Society cautioned more study is needed before expensive MRI scans can be considered a routine screening tool for breast cancer. The ACS currently advises women at high risk for the disease to get both mammograms and MRIs annually, starting at age 30.
Results of the study are published in the medical journal The Lancet and have been presented during a meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
To learn more about MRI screening for breast cancer, watch this video from CBS News HealthWatch.
Sources: The Lancet, Aug 2007; CNN News
Related Links: America’s Health Insurance Plans; abc news
Related Video: ScienceDaily
Related Podcast: The Lancet’s Interview with Dr Christiane Kühl
Tags: x-ray; radiology; Germany; Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
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