How do ultrasound and mammography compare in breast cancer screening?
https://www.facingourrisk.org/XRAY/ultrasound-vs-mammogram-for-breast-screening
Full article: https://jnci.oxfordjournals.org/content/108/4/djv367.abstract
Mammography has been shown to reduce breast cancer deaths; however, women in developing countries don’t have easy access to mammography. Ultrasound screening, on the other hand, is portable and less expensive, and could be an alternative to mammography. This study compared mammography to ultrasound in women with dense breasts and found the two techniques have similar cancer detection rates, although the false positive rate is higher with ultrasound. (02/16/16)
Expert Guidelines
There are laws and guidelines for screening in women with dense breasts. The laws on breast density notification vary by state. The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) has guidelines on breast screening. The panel notes that dense breasts are associated with an increased risk for breast cancer, and they recommend the following:
- Women with dense breasts on mammogram should be counseled on the risks and benefits of additional breast screening.
- Digital mammograms benefit young women and women with dense breasts.
- Tomosynthesis (3D mammograms) can increase cancer detection and lower the chances of additional call backs.
- Ultrasound may improve the detection of cancers in women with dense breasts but it can also increase the number of call backs and biopsies of benign (noncancerous) tissue.
Questions To Ask Your Health Care Provider
- I carry a mutation in a gene that increases cancer risk. How does this change the breast cancer screenings I should receive?
- I have dense breasts—can I get ultrasounds in addition to mammograms?
- Will my health insurance cover breast MRI? If they do not cover it, are there financial assistance programs?
- I have difficulty accessing mammograms. Can I get ultrasounds instead?
- I have a medical reason why I cannot have MRI, should I get ultrasounds?
Open Clinical Trials
The following are breast cancer screening or prevention studies enrolling people at high risk for breast cancer.
- NCT04711109: Denosumab for Preventing Breast Cancer in Women with a BRCA1 Inherited Mutation (BRCA-P). This study will test the effectiveness of a drug (denosumab) on preventing the development of breast cancer in women with an inherited BRCA1 mutation.
- NCT04067726: Denosumab and Mammographic Density in Premenopausal Women With Dense Breasts (TRIDENT). This study is looking at the drug denosumab to learn if it can reduce breast density in high-risk premenopausal women who have dense breasts.
- The Risk Factor Analysis of Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer In Women with BRCA1, BRCA2 or PALB2 Mutations. This study seeks to improve researchers’ understanding of how hormonal, reproductive and lifestyle factors may be associated with cancer in high-risk people.
- NCT02620852: Women Informed to Screen Depending on Measures of Risk (WISDOM) study. The goal of this study is to determine if breast cancer screening can be made better by personalizing each woman’s mammogram schedule, compared to the current one-size-fits-all, annual approach.
Additional risk-management clinical trials for people at high risk for breast cancer may be found here.
About FORCE
FORCE is a national nonprofit organization, established in 1999. Our mission is to improve the lives of individuals and families affected by adult hereditary cancers.