The aim of this retrospective observational study was to investigate the early clinical outcomes of Abbreviated Breast MRI for screening of 200 asymptomatic patients at average to mildly elevated risk of breast cancer in a private practice.

Worldwide breast cancer rates are increasing each year and breast cancer continues to represent the most frequent type of cancer diagnosed in the female population [1]. Behind lung cancer, breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death in Australian women and remains the leading cause of death in women aged 45 to 64 years [2]. The limitations of mammography, which has for many years been the primary imaging examination for breast cancer screening are now well recognised. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) has been...

Data collection and evaluation was performed on 200 patients consisting of 199 females (99.5%) and 1 male (0.5%). Patients were aged between 18-85 years [Mean age of 53 years with a SD ± 12.5). Most patients, 172 (86%) were classified as BIRADS 1 and 2, with the remaining 28 (14%) being classified as BIRADS 3-5. Based on the BIRADS category: 155 patients were recommended to return to routine screening. 28 patients identified as BIRADS ≥ 3 were recommended for further investigations (Figure 2). 45 patients...

In this study of asymptomatic, average to mildly elevated risk patients AB-MR had a high cancer detection rate of 9/200 (4.5%) with a recall rate of 9% and PPV greater than screening mammography of 44%. Cancer detection was not limited by breast density. AB-MR was well tolerated by patients with 75% of surveyed patients selecting it as their preferred modality for screening. The results of this study may be used to inform further research to assess the cost-effectiveness of AB-MR for wider population-based screening and...

[1] World Health Organisation (2020). Breast Cancer. The Global Cancer Observatory. Retrieved from https://gco.iarc.fr/today/data/factsheets/cancers/20-Breast-fact-sheet.pdf [2] Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2019). BreastScreen Australia monitoring report 2019. Cancer series no. 127. Cat. no. CAN 128. Canberra: AIHW [3] Kuhl, C. K. (2019). Abbreviated Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) for Breast Cancer Screening: Rationale, Concept, and Transfer to Clinical Practice. Annu Rev Med, 70, 501-519. doi:10.1146/annurev-med-121417-100403 [4] Comstock CE, Gatsonis C, Newstead GM, et al. (2020). Comparison of Abbreviated Breast MRI vs Digital Breast Tomosynthesis for Breast...