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Page: << Prev | 1 | 2 | 3 | Next >> Also, MRI was not associated with many false positive findings. The positive predictive value of both methods was similar -- 55 percent for mammography and 59 percent for MRI, the researchers reported.
There's one big downside, however: MRI is very expensive compared with mammography. "Also, MRI is more difficult to read, and you have to use different criteria to diagnose DCIS than for invasive breast cancer," Kuhl said.
Since MRI is used less often than mammography "the number of radiologists who are experienced in interpreting breast MRIs is far smaller than the number of radiologists who are able to accurately interpret a mammogram," further limiting its use, the German researcher said.
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And more studies that compare MRI with mammography are needed before MRI can be recommended as the best way to diagnose DCIS, she added. "This is the beginning of the death of mammography, but that is going to be a long death," Kuhl predicted.
One expert wasn't surprised by the findings.
"This study shows that MRI is definitely better than mammography for detecting DCIS," said Dr. Kristin Byrne, chief of breast imaging at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. "We have known that MRI is better for detecting cancer, but there has been a debate whether MRI was best for detecting DCIS," she said.
The enhanced ability to find DCIS using MRI is due to better quality images and improved ability in reading the MRI, Byrne said. "We are now detecting much more DCIS than what is seen on the mammogram," she said.
The American Cancer Society does recommend that women who are at high risk for breast cancer get an MRI in addition to their yearly mammogram, Byrne noted.
Still, it will take a long time before breast MRI replaces mammograms, she said, for the reasons Kuhl laid out.
Another expert agreed that a larger study is needed before MRI can become the preferred breast cancer screening method.
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