Breast Cancer Detection Not Raised with Adjunct Ultrasonography

Cancer detection rate and interval cancer rates were similar among groups, but there were significantly higher rates of false-positive biopsy and short-interval follow-up in the mammography plus ultrasonography group, and a significantly lower predictive value for biopsy recommendation. The study was published on March 18, 2019, in JAMA Internal Medicine.

“Our observational cohort study of ultrasonography screening in women across a range of breast cancer risk found modest, nonsignificant benefits and rates of screening harms that were high and consistent with prior reports,” concluded lead author Janie Lee, MD, MSc, of UW, and colleagues. “To apply supplemental ultrasonography screening with greater effectiveness, we suggest that additional efforts are needed to more accurately identify women who will benefit from supplemental screening.”

Breast density is a measurement of the amount of fatty tissue versus the amount of fibrous tissue in the breast. Because both cancer and dense tissue appear white on a mammogram, tumors often remain masked, resulting in almost one third of cancerous tumors in dense breasts being masked by the tissue during X-ray mammography. According to a 2014 report published by the Journal of the U.S. National Cancer Institute, an estimated 43.3% of women between the ages of 40 and 74 years old have extremely dense breast tissue.

Related Links:
University of Washington
University of California Davis