French Hospital Medical Center (FHMC) is now offering its patients Breast MRI through the utilization of its newly installed GE Signa HDx 1.5T Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanner. The state-of-the-art scanner will supplement early detection methods such as mammograms for those at risk for breast cancer.
According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), a combination of mammogram and breast MRI scans is the best screening method for women at high risk of breast cancer. Women at high risk include those who already have breast cancer, have an immediate family member with breast cancer, or have a lifetime breast cancer risk of 20 percent or higher (according to family history assessment). The ACS suggests the combination of the sensitivity of an MRI and a mammogram gives doctors a better chance of finding breast cancer early in these women, when it is easier to treat and the chance of survival is greater. The ACS also recommends that annual screenings should begin at age 30 for women with a high breast cancer risk. Radiologist Stephen Holtzman, MD says, “Breast MRI is an exciting relatively new technology. In certain patients at high risk, breast MRI has been shown to be very sensitive at detecting tumors that were not visible on mammography.” He adds, “But when it comes to decreasing your risk of dying from breast cancer, there is no substitution for monthly breast exams and annual mammograms.”
Instead of x-rays, an MRI uses magnets and radio waves to produce detailed images of the body. FHMC will use these precise images to guide biopsies at the time of the MRI scan for increased speed and accuracy. The ACS also believes breast MRI will be useful in detecting tumors in the opposite breast of patients newly diagnosed with breast cancer. Up to 10 percent of women with cancer in one breast will develop it in the other breast, though it may go undetected at the original diagnosis. Detecting cancer in the second breast may change long-term treatment options for the patient.
The Breast MRI is the first of many new enhancements to our Women’s Imaging Center which also includes Digital Mammography. Please feel free to contact the Center at (805) 597-6700 for more information.
