For some patients, breast MRIs can catch cancer that mammograms can not

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CINCINNATI (WCPO) – Ultrasound and mammograms are not the only tools for detecting breast cancer.

MRI scans can help physicians evaluate a range of factors, particularly in patients with dense breast tissue, in patients in the "high risk" category.

A mammogram may not catch everything in a dense tissue. It is there that MRI intervenes in the breast.

MRIs offer a different look at the tissue that may stand out more than a mammogram, said Dr. Joseph Benjamin.

"Sometimes dense tissues can mask the changes of a mammogram because dense tissues appear white on a mammogram and sometimes, breast cancer can appear in white … it can be hidden in dense tissue", said Benjamin.

Benjamin said that all patients eligible for an MRI do not get it because some people might not know that they are at high risk of developing breast cancer.

An IV before the MRI allows a contrast in the images. Breast MRIs rely on this contrast to illuminate potential hot spots. The MRI lasts about 30 minutes, compared to the minutes needed to get an ultrasound and the seconds needed to get a mammogram.

MRI of the breasts can detect precancerous cells, said Benjamin. But just as an MRI can detect things that a mammogram can not, a mammogram can detect things that MRI can not.

"They are more complementary than one is replacing the other," Benjamin said.

Benjamin also said that screening for breast cancer should be individualized based on the personal risk of developing cancer for the patient.

"We want to find him as soon as possible," said Benjamin. "We want to find it as small as possible – the more we can track patients, the more we can detect cancers."

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