Dear Women's Imaging Insider,
Are women with a genetic risk for breast cancer destined to undergo more imaging than the average person? It's a question several research groups set out to answer by assessing the value of multimodality imaging in women who are either BRCA carriers or have a strong family history of breast disease. They reported their results with MRI, ultrasound, and mammography at the 2004 RSNA meeting in Chicago. You can read more in our Women's Imaging Insider Exclusive.
While we're on the topic of risk, a report in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute suggests that DNA's inability to repair itself may increase the risk of breast cancer by as much as threefold in some women. Another report found a link between a woman's weight and breast cancer survival, particularly in those who are overweight at diagnosis or gain weight after diagnosis.
Transitioning from screening to treatment, a study from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia found that the one-two punch of tamoxifen and radiotherapy appears to be just as effective and safe in early breast cancer as sequential treatment.
Finally, if your interests lie in molecular imaging, the Women's Imaging Digital Community features two articles of note. The first looks at the development of positron emission mammography (PEM), which permits imaging of the whole breast in a single acquisition. The second discusses molecular breast imaging, which proponents claim is highly sensitive for detecting small lesions and spots missed by mammography and ultrasound.
