Dr. Harold Burstein (Harvard), one of the world’s foremost experts in breast cancer, believes that women with a family history of breast cancer and/or high-risk individuals (those with a known gene) should undergo an annual breast MRI, since it is the most precise method for early detection.
We have offered breast MRI since last summer. We recommend this primarily for women who have a family history of breast cancer, are considered high risk as mentioned above, have dense breast tissue and also for those who have implants. The sensitivity of MRI in detecting breast cancer is about twice as high as that of mammography.
The reason breast MRI is not yet used for general screening is mainly because it is more costly. We recommend that women who undergo breast MRI also continue with their regular mammography screening.
“The better we are able to identify breast cancer early on, the better we are at curing cancers.” – Dr. Harold Burstein
