Magnetic resonance imaging in screening women at high risk of breast cancer: A meta-analysis.

Background: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is more accurate than mammography in screening for breast cancer. Exposure to ionizing radiation from repeated diagnostic X-rays may be a cause of breast cancer.

Methods: We conducted systematic searches on PubMed, Cochrane and Embase to identify studies on women who underwent mammography or MRI screening. A meta-analysis was performed to compare the detection rate of breast cancer by mammography, MRI or both.

Results: A total of 18 diagnostic publications were identified and included in the meta-analysis. Among the 1000 screened women, MRI alone increased the detection rate of breast cancer by 8 compared with mammography alone (RR 0.48, 95% CI 0.42-0.54), and MRI plus mammography increased the detection rate of breast cancer by 1 compared with MRI alone (RR 0.86, 95% CI 0.78-0.96). Subgroup analysis demonstrated that the diagnostic efficacy of MRI plus mammography in breast was obviously better than that of MRI alone or mammography alone.

Conclusions: Screening with MRI alone might be the best choice for women at high risk of breast cancer.