Medscape (11/30, Hein) reports on a study presented at an RSNA meeting arguing “abbreviated MRI protocols could dramatically improve the diagnosis of breast cancer and lead to the earlier diagnosis of a lot more women, especially those with fast-growing cancers.” Christiane Kuhl, MD, from University of Aachen in Germany, who presented, said that MRI is “by far the most accurate imaging method for diagnosis.” The study included “1,450 women with dense breast tissue who are at average risk for breast cancer.” Kuhl explains that while “a typical MRI study takes up to 40 minutes and generates several hundred images,” the abbreviated form “has a 3-minute magnet time and an abridged image interpretation time (about 30 seconds), generates only one precontrast and one postcontrast T1 weighted image set, and uses maximum-intensity projections to fuse the first postcontrast subtracted images into one single high-contrast image.”

The Radiology Business Journal (11/21, Walter) reports a new study claims that risk-based mammographic screening for breast cancer could delay detection and treatment of breast cancer in many cases. The study authors wrote, “We found that many screen-detected breast cancers occurred in women without family history or dense breast tissue.” Specifically, they said that “in 44 percent of patients, neither dense breast tissue nor family history of breast cancer was seen.” The findings were published in the American Journal of Roentgenology.

The HealthDay (11/21, Preidt) reports that a study indicates “most American women would prefer to get a mammogram to screen for breast cancer every year rather than every two years.” The survey of 731 women who were an average of 59 years old on average indicated “71 percent of the women said they’d prefer a screening mammogram every year.” Women “with a family history of breast cancer and a prior breast biopsy were more likely to be in favor of yearly screening.” The research is to be presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.

Newsweek (11/20, Dovey) reports that a study “suggests that in addition to being at higher risk of developing breast cancer, overweight women are more likely to have larger tumors at the time of diagnosis.” The findings are to be presented at the Radiological Society of North America meeting.