Ultrasound missed high risk breast cancers
(Reuters) – applying ultrasound to annual mammograms for women with higher than average risk of developing breast cancer helps detect tumors in the initial stages, but also increases the chances of making unnecessary biopsies to healthy patients, according to an American study reveals. For the majority of women that fall within the category of “intermediate risk”, including those with higher breast density or a family history of breast cancer, the extra possibility of false positive and you need more evidence probably worth it, said the author of the study, Wendie Berg, of the women Magee Hospital in Pittsburgh This is due to, for example, mammograms not function as well in those women with higher breast density. “The vast majority (…)” “women are very aware of these risks choose welcome perform an ultrasound, knowing that this increases the possibility of finding cancer if it is present and do so before”, said Berg on the study, which is published in Journal of the American Medical Association. The recommendations of oncological and radiological institutions urge women at risk of developing cancer, including those with the genetic mutations BRCA1 and BRCA2, to make a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in addition to annual mammography. But guidelines do not specify if additional tests are also the best choice for those who fall into the category of intermediate risk, which would include up to 30 percent...
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