Cost-Effectiveness of MR-Mammography in Breast Cancer Screening of Women With Extremely Dense Breasts After Two Rounds of Screening

ObjectivesTo evaluate the cost-effectiveness of MR-mammography (MRM) vs. x-ray based mammography (XM) in two-yearly screening women of intermediate risk for breast cancer in the light of recent literature.MethodsDecision analysis and Markov modelling were used to compare cumulative costs (in US-$) and outcomes (in QALYs) of MRM vs. XM over the model runtime of 20 years. The perspective of the U.S. healthcare system was selected. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICER) were calculated and related to a willingness to pay-threshold of $ 100,000 per QALY in order to evaluate the cost-effectiveness. Deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were conducted to test the impact of variations of the input parameters. In particular, variations of the rate of false positive findings beyond the first screening round and their impact on cost-effectiveness were assessed.ResultsBreast cancer screening with MRM resulted in increased costs and superior effectiveness. Cumulative average costs of $ 6,081 per woman and cumulative effects of 15.12 QALYs were determined for MRM, whereas screening with XM resulted in costs of $ 5,810 and 15.10 QALYs, resulting in an ICER of $ 13,493 per QALY gained. When the specificity of MRM in the second and subsequent screening rounds was varied from 92% to 99%, the ICER resulted in a range from $ 38,849 to $ 5,062 per QALY.ConclusionsBased on most recent data on the diagnostic performance beyond the first screening round, MRM may remain the economically preferable alternative in screening women of intermediate risk for breast cancer due to their dense breast tissue.

Magnetic Resonance Mammography in the Diagnostics of Intraduсtal Cancer in situ (DCIS)

The improvement of methods of radiation diagnostics has led to an increase in the frequency of detection of breast cancer in the early stages. According to our study (a retrospective analysis of data from 195 MRM with DKU), the results of studies of women with a histologically verified diagnosis of intra-ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). For formations of more than 5 mm in 60 %, we obtained reliable criteria for the malignant process (contrast capture of more than 100 % for type II-III, the presence of feeding arteries). Various contrast zones without / or with the presence of less than 5 mm formation in 10–20 % of in situ carcinomas had a pattern of accumulation similar to benign proliferative changes, a statistically significant criterion was the strengthening of the vasculature on MIP reconstruction around the contrast zone, which in 31 % of cases coincided with the areas of accumulation of atypical microcalcinates detected in mammography (BI-RADS 4). MR mammography with dynamic contrast enhancement, having a high sensitivity in detecting vascularized areas, allows us to assess their nature with a high degree of probability against the background of any types of breast tissue structure.

DIFFUSION-WEIGHTED IMAGING IN MR MAMMOGRAPHY AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO BIOPSY IN THE EVALUATION OF INTERMEDIATE NON-MASS BREAST LESIONS

Background: Dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI is a sensitive tool for the diagnosis of breast cancer, however, its value is limited in cases of non-mass enhancement. Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) is promising in the diagnosis of non-mass breast lesions. Purpose: The aim of this study is to determine the value of diffusion-weighted imaging in the evaluation of intermediate non-mass breast lesions, as an alternative to biopsy. Materials and Methods: Thirty-three female patients between the ages of 38-56 years (mean age, 45 years) with non-mass lesions on MR mammography were included in this study. The lowest ADC values were obtained for the non-mass breast lesions. MR-guided core-needle biopsies were performed for 20 patients, while the other patients who refused biopsy, had yearly mammography and ultrasound every six months for two years. They also had at least one follow up MR mammography within the two years’ interval. Results: This study included 33 non-mass breast lesions detected on MR mammography. The lesion siz¬es ranged from 0.2 to 1.4 cm. The morphological characteristics of the lesions and their signal intensity curves on dynamic MR Mammography were recorded. For differentiation of benign and malignant lesions, a threshold ADC value of 1.03×10–3 mm2/s was used. The ADC values for all the lesions ranged from 1.3 x 10–3 mm2/s to 2.6 x 10–3 mm2/s. Conclusion: Diffusion-weighted imaging is effective in the evaluation of intermediate non-mass breast lesions on MR mammography and can be used as an alternative to biopsy.

Consensus Meeting of Breast Imaging: BI-RADS® and Beyond

Organizers of medical educational courses are often confronted with questions that are clinically relevant yet trespassing the frontiers of scientifically proven, evidence-based medicine at the point of care. Therefore, since 2007 organizers of breast teaching courses in German language met biannually to find a consensus in clinically relevant questions that have not been definitely answered by science. The questions were prepared during the 3 months before the meeting according to a structured process and finally agreed upon the day before the consensus meeting. At the consensus meeting, the open questions concerning 2D/3D mammography, breast ultrasound, MR mammography, interventions as well as risk-based imaging of the breast were presented first for electronic anonymized voting, and then the results of the audience were separately displayed from the expert votes. Thereafter, an introductory statement of the moderator was followed by pros/cons of two experts, and subsequently the final voting was performed. With ≥75% of votes of the expert panel, an answer qualified as a consensus statement. Seventeen consensus statements were gained, addressing for instance the use of 2D/3D mammography, breast ultrasound in screening, MR mammography in women with intermediate breast cancer risk, markers for localization of pathologic axillary lymph nodes, and standards in risk-based imaging of the breast. After the evaluation, comments from the experts on each field were gathered supplementarily. Methodology, transparency, and soundness of statements achieve a unique yield for all course organizers and provide solid pathways for decision making in breast imaging.