Dear AuntMinnie Member,
Tamoxifen has long been viewed as one of the most effective weapons in the fight against breast cancer, and new research released this week indicates that imaging-based measurements of breast density could play a role in determining how the drug is used.
Swedish researchers found that women who were treated with tamoxifen and experienced reductions in breast tissue density experienced the greatest benefit from the therapy, with only half the death rate of women who received tamoxifen but didn't see a drop in density.
The study could add more fuel to the burgeoning effort to develop better tools to measure breast density. Read more by clicking here.
Are women ignoring the USPSTF?
In other women's imaging news, a new study from Brigham and Women's Hospital indicates that women may be ignoring the 2009 decision by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) to remove its guidance that women ages 40 to 49 undergo regular mammography screening.
The study, which analyzed self-reported mammography compliance rates, found that screening rates haven't changed on a statistically significant basis since the new guidelines. What's behind the change -- or rather, the lack of change? Find out by clicking here, or visit our Women's Imaging Digital Community at women.auntminnie.com.
MRI and MS
In other news, a new study published this week in Radiology suggests that MRI could be a useful tool for predicting which patients with early symptoms may eventually progress to develop multiple sclerosis (MS).
Researchers used MRI to scan patients with clinically isolated syndrome, which sometimes can occur in patients who later develop MS. They found that MRI scans can detect signs of atrophy in some regions of the brain, and that more individuals with this atrophy later developed MS.
Read more by clicking here, or visit the community at mri.auntminnie.com.
While you're there, also check out an article from last week's American Roentgen Ray Society meeting that advises the use of MRI rather than ultrasound as the first imaging test for pregnant women suspected of appendicitis. Learn more by clicking here.
