MRI or mammograms for detecting breast cancer in families with unknown genetic mutations?
https://www.facingourrisk.org/XRAY/MRI-detects-cancer-earlier-than-mammograms
Full article: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanonc/article/PIIS1470-2045(19)30275-X/fulltext
MRI and mammograms are used together to detect breast cancer in high-risk women who test positive for a BRCA or other gene mutation that increases the risk for breast cancer. For women with a family history of breast cancer but no known genetic mutation, increased screening is recommended. But what method is best? A recent clinical trial in the Netherlands compared MRI and mammography for this population. (8/15/19)
Questions To Ask Your Health Care Provider
- What method of screening or combination of methods do you recommend given my personal and family history?
- What are the benefits and risks of screening by MRI and by mammogram?
- What follow-up would you recommend if my breast MRI comes back with an abnormal finding?
- How often should I be screened for breast cancer?
- Will my insurance cover breast cancer screening?
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) in 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 improved by personalizing each woman’s mammogram schedule, compared to the current one-size-fits-all annual approach.
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NCT04674306: Adjuvant Therapy With an Alpha-lactalbumin Vaccine in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer. This study is testing a new vaccine to lower the risk of breast cancer in high-risk women with an inherited mutation in BRCA1, BRCA2 or PALB2.
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.