Breast MRI vs Mammography: Which is Better for Breast Cancer Screening?

What factors determine the choice between mammography and breast MRI What are the advantages and limitations of each type of screening? In this video, Dr. Jennifer Griggs explains everything you need to know about breast MRI and mammography for breast cancer screening.
Get your personalized Yerbba Report at app.yerbba.com/signup
Connect With Yerbba!
WEBSITE: www.yerbba.com
INSTAGRAM: yerbba
FACEBOOK: yerbba.breast.cancer
BLOG: blog.yerbba.com/
Disclaimer: Yerbba KZbin videos are for informational purposes only, do not constitute medical advice, and are not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your medical team, mental health professional, or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding your medical condition.

[@user-xo8hq2go7g]

As always, so informative! I’m one year post treatment for early stage IDC. Completed first mammogram post treatment 6 months ago. All looked clear, but I was offered MRI as an alternate screening to mammogram. As I understand the guidelines are now including dense breasts as a rationale for MRI (versus just family history or high risk). I’m going to do the MRI since it is offered and I don’t want to worry about what mammogram may not be seeing in the dense tissue. Hoping this won’t lead to a path of false positives and the worry land I’ve successfully moved past most days. 😊 Very timely video - very appreciated!

[@yerbba]

Thanks for writing and sharing your experience. Wishing you the best.

[@user-xo8hq2go7g]

MRI went well and everything looks great. Terrific peace of mind to receive MRI results. Plan to alternate MRI and mammogram every 6 months.

[@naththomas9946]

Thank you, Dr. Griggs, for medical advice on technology (MRI vs Mammogram).

[@yerbba]

Thank you for watching! Yerbba appreciates you.

[@ALi-bn6bf]

Very informative. Thank you!

[@yerbba]

Thank you for your support. Yerbba appreciates you!

[@marinemom8361]

Mammograms are only about 30% reliable in detection I do not like having my breasts squished in a vice! I’m supposed to have a diagnostic mammogram, but refuse to do it. Not going through that again!

[@yerbba]

For our other viewers, mammography will detect 85% of breast cancers in the average woman. In women with dense breasts, mammography will detect 70% of breast cancers. Thanks for sharing your views.

[@tinawaggoner1031]

I had a MRI to see if there were more masses in my breast or lymph nodes very thankful that there wasn't. But I have a really hard time lying and my stomach so it was really hard for me

[@nonyabiness4023]

Very informative! I didn’t know mri was an option for screening. I’m 8 months post treatment and my friend got screened a week and a half ago. They found something and did a biopsy and she’s waiting to hear. I’m praying it’s a cluster of cysts and not cancer, but if it is, it’s 7 millimeters, very early, which is the silver lining!

[@yerbba]

Thank you for watching and sharing your experience. We're so glad you found the video helpful. It's a positive step that your friend is being proactive about her health. Regardless of the outcome, your support and care for your friend are invaluable. Remember, you're not alone, and there's a community here to offer understanding and support. Wishing you and your friend the very best.

[@nonyabiness4023]

@@yerbba It was not cancer for her! I’m so glad! Just a fibroid tumor. She’s screening every year now! Thank you!

[@pattyduke3232]

Thank you for this video. I am doing research on breast MRI. I had an abnormal mammo then had ultrasound with a 6 month recommended follow up. Since that time I felt a lump, in the abn breast. Went for another dx mammo, which they had a hard time seeing what we are feeling on the u/s but not on mammo. The radiologist called me "the mystery of the day". They suggested steriotactic mammo, which I went yesterday. Now they told me they might not be able to see it. And that is exactly what happened. Now, I have extremely dense breast which gets in the way and they couldn't approximate the area. My biopsy was deferred. They now suggested a MRI. I just want answers! I hope my insurance company doesn't cause delay. I am 44, my mom had breast cancer. I just want to know, ya know!!

[@yerbba]

Of course you want to know. Hoping everything turns out okay.

[@johndejong8822]

What about mammogram vs ultrasound to detect breast cancer?

[@yerbba]

Thank you for watching. In many cases, both mammograms and ultrasounds are used together for a more comprehensive evaluation in people with a known abnormality. Ultrasound is generally not used for screening but rather for giving doctors more information about the nature of any detected masses. As a general note, the choice of screening method and frequency depends on various factors, including age, personal medical history, and risk factors.

[@sarahf.318]

Thanks for this informative video! You're great! I have had MRIs as well as mammograms because my mom had breast cancer twice, the first time at 36. If you calculate my family history it doesn't look that high because it's only one relative but it was my mom. I don't have any sisters and Mom didn't have any sisters, and neither did her dad. So there are few female relatives to indicate my absolute risk. Is this an appropriate use of MRI?

[@yerbba]

This is a great question. Without having full access to your records or being part of your care team, we cannot give advice, but you are picking up on a question many experts ask. In general, MRI for screening is recommended only in people with an elevated risk due to, for example, an inherited susceptibility.

[@sarahf.318]

Thanks! I will say that mammography didn't catch my large area of grade 3 DCIS, so this is maybe as good an answer as any! I will be getting continued MRI.@@yerbba

[@ithacacomments4811]

My sister developed an autoimmune disease after a bad reaction to MRI contrast. Her body did not clear the contrast material effectively.

[@yerbba]

Although rare, this is an important adverse effect. Wishing her the best.

[@eliza_gg]

My primary care physician has recommended mammograms and MRIs yearly due to dense breast tissue. I was tested genetically and all were normal. I have one paternal and one maternal aunt that had breast cancer in their 50s and 60s. The radiologist said yearly screening was appropriate. Is an MRI in my case too much? I had one last week with a result of NME after a normal diagnostic mammogram in April of this year. Now I have to go back for another with possible biopsy. It's so stressful. I will have to clarify with the radiologist on whether the mris should be continued. Maybe a fast mri would be more appropriate if so.

[@yerbba]

Great questions. Asking another physician may help clarify the role of MRI in your specific case.

[@eliza_gg]

@@yerbba Thanks for the reply and for this content!

[@binhooteo703]

Is it painful to have a mamogram after lumpectomy especially when the scar tissues are still firm and tender?

[@yerbba]

It can be really uncomfortable, yes. If you are still having pain when it's time for your follow up mammogram, talk with your medical team about options.

[@kristinlutzke6961]

How is having a biopsy a delay in treatment. If you didn't do the MRI, nothing would be done at all

[@yerbba]

Great question! If additional testing of areas that are seen on MRI delays treatment of a known cancer (seen on mammogram, felt on exam), finding a benign lesion or another cancer will delay treatment and usually does not change the surgical outcome.

[@debtreat7382]

As a teenager, I had radiation to the face (not back or chest), could that have contributed to my ductal carcinoma?

[@meahdahlgren6537]

Yes i thank its true❤

[@yerbba]

Great question. It is unlikely that radiation to the face would increase the risk of breast cancer.

[@HareKrishna3760]

I just finished my external beam rt i vmat , abc ( dibh), for the left breast, does that put me on higher risk of developing breast cancer in my right breast ? if yes then how much percentage?

[@yerbba]

With current techniques, the "scatter" to the other breast is unmeasurable because it's so low.

[@danajones65]

Isn’t the radiation from mammogram dangerous and can actually give u cancer from radiation?

[@aidacantu3355]

Some doctors are talking about the Danger of Mammography

[@yerbba]

Great question. The amount of radiation that is given with a mammogram is less than with a chest x-ray and is about the same amount of radiation we receive in a 30-minute walk outside. Repeated mammograms beginning in people under 30 can be a problem because the body is much more susceptible to radiation in people that young.

[@NahidKohistani]

Try Thermography

[@yerbba]

For our other viewers, there is limited evidence supporting the use of thermography as a reliable screening tool for breast cancer detection. Leading medical organizations like the American Cancer Society, American College of Radiology, Society of Breast Imaging, and the FDA do not recommend thermography as a reliable way to detect breast cancer because no study has shown it to be an effective screening tool for detecting breast cancer at an early stage. Most major insurance companies do not cover thermography due to insufficient evidence that it has a beneficial impact on health outcomes. While thermography can detect temperature changes that may indicate increased blood flow to a tumor, it cannot provide the kind of information about breast abnormalities like mammography. It has a high false-positive rate and low sensitivity for detecting early-stage breast cancer. It is possible that thermography shows potential as an adjunctive tool in addition to mammography, but there is insufficient evidence from large-scale studies to support its use as a standalone or primary screening method for breast cancer detection according to major medical organizations and regulatory bodies.

[@janieraccoon]

Why do the breasts have to hang down? Uncomfortable and humiliating. Why can't it be done with the patient on her back?

[@yerbba]

Great question. When we lie on our backs, the breast tissue is not pulled away from the chest wall. It is necessary for the breasts to be as far away from the chest wall as possible in order to see everything. There are so many things in medicine that represent indignities--from the gowns to the way our bodies are treated.