Many women equate ultrasound screening with pregnancy, having undergone the painless procedure on their growing abdomen to get a precious first look at baby. But don’t be surprised if your doctor soon orders an ultrasound for something entirely different – the health of your breasts.
The same tool that so precisely monitors and measures a growing fetus – without exposing mother or child to radiation – is also being employed in the detection of breast cancer. New research shows that ultrasound picks up small tumors that mammograms sometimes miss.
Although mammograms are still considered the gold standard for breast cancer screening, ultrasounds are increasingly being recommended as an adjunct in women at high risk for the disease, with good reason. In one recent study of ultrasound screening on 2,809 women, doctors found cancer in 12 breasts that mammography had failed to detect.
The researchers determined that by adding a single ultrasound screening to annual mammograms, an additional 1.1 to 7.2 cancers would be spotted in every 1,000 high-risk women. But the extra test would also result in more false positives, causing temporary emotional distress and leading to some unnecessary biopsies.
“The study results confirm that screening ultrasound in combination with mammography detects more cancers than mammography alone in women at increased risk for breast cancer,” said the study’s lead author, Dr. Wendie Berg, in a written statement. “However, this benefit comes with the added risk of a false positive result. If we are going to offer screening ultrasound, we need to inform women of the substantial risk of receiving an unnecessary biopsy.”
A Navigenics genetic test can help you determine whether you are at increased genetic risk for breast cancer. Women who have a genetic predisposition for the disease should certainly discuss the benefits and drawbacks of ultrasound screening with their doctor and ask whether it would be prudent to include an ultrasound in their regular screening regimen.
Early detection of breast cancer reduces mortality by at least 15 percent, according to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. The nice thing about ultrasound is that it can find breast cancer tumors that are small, before they have had a chance to spread. It is certainly a tool to be considered along with mammography and breast MRI.
Kathy Golla Mar 16, 2009
Wow, this is really informative. I had no idea!