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Add MRI to mammogram and BSE?

Page last modified on: October 20, 2008
Question from Maureen: I am a 53-year-old female with calculated risk 3.8% (sister and mother had breast cancer). Is there any benefit in adding MRI to annual mammogram and monthly self-exam?
Answer —Terri McHugh, M.D.: Statistical models have been created to estimate a woman's chance of developing breast cancer based on various personal and/or family history factors. Having a calculated risk of breast cancer of 3.8% [the risk of developing breast cancer in the next 5 years], I assume you were using the Gail Risk Assessment Model. (A value equal to or greater than 1.7% places a woman in the high-risk category for breast cancer using the Gail model.) Your lifetime risk of developing breast cancer is at least 26%. Breast screening recommendations for women in this high-risk category include: monthly self-breast examination starting by age 18, clinical breast examination performed by a physician every 6 months, and annual mammogram. The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) recommends annual breast MRI in addition to annual mammogram, ideally alternating every 6 months. Additionally, chemoprevention with tamoxifen should be discussed with your treating physician(s), as it has been shown to reduce the risk of breast cancer in high-risk women by almost 50%.

On Wednesday, March 19, 2008, our Ask-the-Expert Online Conference was called Breast Cancer Risk and Your Family. Carol Cherry, M.S.N., R.N., A.P.R.N., B.C. and Terri McHugh, M.D. answered your questions about how family genes affect risk, pros and cons of genetic testing, and ways to lower your breast cancer risk.

The materials presented in these conferences do not necessarily reflect the views of breastcancer.org. A qualified healthcare professional should be consulted before using any therapeutic product or regimen discussed. All readers should verify all information and data before employing any therapies described here.

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Meet the Experts

Carol Cherry, M.S.N., R.N., A.P.R.N., B.C.Carol Cherry, M.S.N, R.N., A.P.R.N, B.C. is health educator, Research Project Manager, and Cancer Risk Counselor in the Margaret Dyson Family Risk Assessment Program at the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Pennsylvania.

Terri McHugh, M.D. is a medical oncologist/hematologist and director of the Cancer Risk Assessment and Genetics program.

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