Imaging detects cancers missed in dense breasts

Image credit: nci via Unsplash

New research highlights the value of supplemental imaging techniques, such as MRI and ultrasound, in detecting early-stage breast cancers that mammograms may miss in women with dense breast tissue. A phase 3 randomized controlled trial published in The Lancet found that some imaging methods were three times more effective than ultrasound in identifying cancers at an early stage, highlighting the importance of advanced screening tools for this high-risk population. These advanced tools improve cancer detection rates, offering a critical advantage for early diagnosis and treatment in a population where standard screening is often less effective.

Source

Gilbert, F. J., Payne, N. R., Allajbeu, I., Yit, L., Vinnicombe, S., Lyburn, I., Sharma, N., Teh, W., James, J., Seth, A., Suaris, T., Aggarwal, R., Al-Attar, M., Savaridas, S., Antoniou, A., Pharoah, P., & Duffy, S. (2025). Comparison of supplemental breast cancer imaging techniques-interim results from the BRAID randomised controlled trial. Lancet (London, England), 405(10493), 1935–1944. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(25)00582-3

Additional Reading

https://ecancer.org/en/news/26544-additional-imaging-techniques-detect-early-stage-cancers-missed-by-mammograms-in-women-with-dense-breasts

https://news.cancerresearchuk.org/2025/05/22/dense-breasts-enhanced-breast-cancer-screening/

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/may/21/breast-cancer-dense-extra-scans