Most effective means for screening breast cancer, MRI vs Mammo

Abstract

Mammograms were widely used in detection of breast cancer when it was felt that they have limited accuracy. Rapid progress in imaging technology and the augmented usage of MRI have combined to drive an interest in computer-aided diagnosis. Both techniques have their advantages and disadvantages.

This research attempts to find what the most effective screening tool for breast cancer is. It probes the research question whether MRI should be used or Mammographs.

Conventional mammography is known to have increased the rate of early detection of breast cancer considerably. MRI detects small breast lesions that may be missed by mammography.

Most effective means for screening breast cancer, MRI vs Mammo

Introduction

Mammograms were widely used in detection of breast cancer when it was felt that they have limited accuracy. Rapid progress in imaging technology and the increased use of MRI have combined to drive an interest in computer-aided diagnosis.

This research attempts to find what the most effective screening tool for breast cancer is. It probes the research question whether MRI should be used or Mammographs.

Methods

Today, the two methods available for breast cancer detection are MRI and Mammography. Both methods use medical imaging for the screening and detection of breast cancer. With time these medical imaging techniques have become more advanced and treatment regimes have become more focused on treatment of early and late stages of breast cancer (Coons, 1996).

Discussion on MRI and Mammography

Early detection of breast cancer

Improved screening and diagnosis have resulted in an increase in survival rate of women diagnosed with breast cancer. The five-year rate of survival for localized breast cancer has increased from 78% to 94% in the last 35 years (Coons, 1996).

Major components

Major components of a breast cancer screening procedure are diagnosis and screening.

Diagnosis

Effective breast cancer diagnosis calls for systematic image examination, characterization and integration of a number of clinical and mammographic factors. This is a challenging task for imaging experts. Inclusion of computer models into radiological procedure can increase the precision of image interpretation (Alagoz et. al., 2010).

Screening

Imaging techniques are not just used in diagnosis, but regular screening of high risk women too. It is recommended that all women 40 or older must have a screening mammogram every alternate year (Alagoz et. al., 2010).

False positives

Even though the use of usual mammography has increased the rate of early detection of breast cancers, it is difficult to distinguish tumor from normal glands in denser breasts of younger women. Therefore, it is inevitable that some glands may show up in the image which may be thought of as tumors (Coons, 1996).

Successful treatment

The main concern related to diagnostic screening and treatment of breast cancer is the importance of localized control of the tumor on patient survival. It also focuses on the outcome of undetected multicentric disease. Identifying the spread of tumor becomes a mainly critical issue when a patient and the physician are considering breast-conserving treatment (Coons, 1996).

Mammography

Mammography is the main imaging technique used to identify early and clinically occult breast ...