Elevated MRI enhancement raised cancer risk in women with very dense breasts

A machine learning model found that background parenchymal enhancement (BPE) on breast MRI is an indicator of breast cancer risk in women with extremely dense breasts, according to a study published in Radiology.

Women with extremely dense breasts are at a three- to six-times higher risk of developing breast cancer compared to women who have fatty breasts. Since mammography is less sensitive in detecting early-stage breast cancer in women with dense breasts, women between the ages of 50 and 75 years with dense breasts may benefit from additional MRI screening.

Another breast cancer risk factor is BPE, which is the level of normal fibroglandular tissue that enhances on breast MRI. To determine how much BPE is an indicator of breast cancer risk, the researchers used dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI exams from 4,553 participants in the DENSE Tria to develop a deep learning model to automatically identify the fibroglandular tissue.

After adjusting for age, BMI and BPE, the researchers found that breast cancer occurrence was greater in women with higher volumes of enhancing parenchyma compared to women with low volumes of enhancing parenchyma. Of the 4,553 women included in the study, 122 were diagnosed with breast cancer. Roughly 63% of them were diagnosed after the first round of screening.

Reference: Assessing Quantitative Parenchymal Features at Baseline Dynamic Contrast-enhanced MRI and Cancer Occurrence in Women with Extremely Dense Breasts, Radiology (https://doi.org/10.1148/radiol.222841)