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For MRI breast screening, second time's a charm

by Brendon Nafziger, DOTmed News Associate Editor | February 03, 2011

For the women in the baseline group, the rate of false positives was about 13 percent, or 39 of 299 patients. For women in the group getting subsequent or annual exams, the false-positive rate was nearly half that, at 5.6 percent, or 19 of 341 patients.

Women getting their first exam were also nearly four times more likely to get a follow-up exam ordered to keep an eye on suspicious findings, the authors said. About 10 percent, or 31 out of 307, women in the baseline group received a recommendation for a follow-up MRI in the short term, compared with 2.6 percent, or 9 out of 343 women, in the repeat exam group.

The cancer detection rate in the repeat group was also almost twice as high: cancer was found in four patients, for a 1.17 percent detection rate. For the first-timers, two findings proved to be cancerous, for a detection rate of 0.65 percent.

The authors said there were several limitations to the study. Although the two groups of women appeared to have similar risk factors, it's possible women in the annual exam group were at higher risk for the disease, as the highest-risk patients are more likely to undergo annual screenings, the authors said. The researchers also said a handful of patients were lost to follow-up, which could have biased the results.

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