Breast cancer is a condition characterized by the uncontrolled growth of malignant cells in breast tissue. 99% of cases of breast cancer occur in women, compared with 0.5% to 1% in men. In 2022, the WHO identified 2.3 million breast cancer patients worldwide and 670,000 deaths caused by this disease*.

An average of 1 in 8 women is diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. How does breast MRI play a key role in the management of breast cancer, and which women does it focus on?

Screening, diagnosis and management: the triple role of breast MRI

Breast MRI is a tool used by radiologists for the screening, diagnosis and management of breast cancer. While it is not a substitute for mammography and breast ultrasound, it offers a higher degree of accuracy than other imaging techniques.

In screening, breast MRI uses magnetic fields and radio waves to create detailed images of breast tissue and detect anomalies more precisely: 35% of cancer tumors go unnoticed during a standard mammogram.

It is also able to reveal the blood supply of tissues, valuable information that makes it possible to distinguish between benign and malignant tumors: cancerous tumors often have more vascularization. Breast MRI therefore makes it possible to refine the diagnosis of breast cancer and make it more reliable, thereby reducing the number of false-positives. 

This examination is particularly effective in determining the extent of local spread of breast cancer. It allows radiologists to visualize the size of the tumor, its location or its extension to nearby structures. This degree of accuracy is crucial because it increases the effectiveness of disease management with better surgical planning: according to the results of Magnetic Resonance Imaging, for example, it will be possible to choose between mastectomy and breast-conserving surgery.

Breast MRI is also used to monitor response to neoadjuvant therapy, given prior to surgery to reduce tumor size. Oncologists can then observe how the latter responds to chemotherapy or radiotherapy and adjust treatment protocols accordingly.

Finally, patients who have already been treated for breast cancer can be monitored by performing breast MRIs in order to detect potential local recurrences early. 

Who are breast MRIs for? 

The recommendations for the prescription of this examination have changed. Previously, these were primarily based on patient age. This is no longer the case, as the recommendations of the American College of Radiology (ACR) and the European Society Of Breast Imaging (EUSOBI) now focus on assessing the individual risk of patients.

While age is an important risk factor, there are others. For example, women carrying the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes have a risk of breast cancer that varies from 40% to 80% during their lifetime. Heredity is another important factor, since between 20% and 30% of breast cancers occur in women with a medical history of cancer, and in particular breast cancers, in their families.

People at risk are encouraged to be screened regularly by having a breast MRI. This is also the case for women with dense breasts, as the tissue can make it more complex to detect abnormalities during mammography, unlike MRI, which has an increased level of sensitivity for detecting tumors.

Since the ACR amended its recommendations in 2018, it has found that the use of breast MRIs has increased 14-fold.

Breast MRI plays a crucial role in the screening, diagnosis, management and follow-up of breast cancer patients. Olea Medical supports medical establishments in the democratization of breast MRI by offering innovative applications dedicated to the interpretation of their MRI examinations. 

*https://www.who.int/fr/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/breast-cancer#:~:text=In%202022%2C%20on%20a%20recens%C3%A9,measure%20that%20l’%C3%A2ge%20advance

https://www.centreleonberard.fr/patient-proche/cancer-pris-en-charge/cancer-du-sein#:~:text=The%20cancer%20du%20sein%20touche,de%20plus%20de%2050%20ans