Magnetic resonance imaging effectively detects cancer

AORN Journal,  Feb, 2005  

• E-mail
• Print
• Link

A study of 821 patients referred for breast biopsy based on examinations that suggested cancer has found that magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) distinguishes between benign and malignant breast tumors better than mammography, but biopsies still are needed to confirm the diagnosis, according to a Dec 7, 2004, news release from Johns Hopkins Medicine, Baltimore. The study was carried out at 14 university hospitals in the United States and Europe from June 1998 through October 2001. ALL patients underwent MRI examinations before breast biopsy.

Researchers found that MRI correctly identified cancer in 356 of 404 cancer cases, resulting in a sensitivity of 88.1%. It correctly identified 281 of 417 cases without cancer as negative for cancer, a specificity rate of 67.7%, compared to 52.8% for mammography. Although MRI was good at finding cancer, it was less effective at ruling out malignancies.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging Helps Detect Breast Cancer but Does Not Eliminate Need for Biopsy (news release, Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Medicine, Dec 7, 2004) http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/Press_releases/2004 /12 07 04.html (accessed 7 Jan 2005).

COPYRIGHT 2005 Association of Operating Room Nurses, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group