Apollo Athenaa launches MRI-guided biopsy for early breast cancer detection

New Delhi: Apollo Athenaa Women's Cancer Centre in the national capital has introduced an advanced MRI-guided breast biopsy technique, as studies show that around 10-20 per cent of breast cancers may be missed during mammography, particularly in women with dense breast tissue.

According to an official statement issued on Wednesday, the Apollo Athenaa Women’s Cancer Centre has launched MRI-guided Vacuum-Assisted Breast Biopsy (MRI-guided VABB) to help detect cancers that often go unnoticed during routine screening.

The statement noted that such cancers can grow silently, without forming a lump or showing early symptoms, making them difficult to detect through conventional tests and often leading to diagnosis at a later stage.

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This concern is particularly serious in India, where breast cancer is increasingly being diagnosed in younger women, often nearly a decade earlier than in Western countries, it said. Many cases are still detected at advanced stages, resulting in more aggressive treatment and poorer outcomes.

Dr Preetha Reddy, executive vice chairperson of the Apollo Hospitals Group, said the new technique will help confirm cancer earlier and more accurately.

“This initiative strengthens the entire breast diagnostic pathway with greater precision, speed and clinical confidence, helping detect breast cancer earlier and enabling timely, minimally invasive intervention,” she added, news agency PTI reported.

The statement also said the hospital has significantly reduced breast MRI scan time, from nearly 50 minutes to less than 15 minutes, by using high-resolution MRI systems supported by AI-based protocols, without affecting diagnostic accuracy. This is expected to make MRI screening more accessible for women with dense breasts or high-risk profiles.

Citing data from India, the statement noted that a study of 2,470 breast cancer patients found that 14.3 per cent were under 40 years of age. Nearly 70 per cent of these younger patients were diagnosed at the advanced Stage III or IV of the disease.

It added that 45.7 per cent of these younger patients had triple negative breast cancer, an aggressive form of the disease.

Dr Jyoti Arora, senior consultant and lead, Department of Breast Radiology at the centre, said early detection is crucial, especially for younger women with dense breast tissue, where routine screening is less effective, reports PTI.

She said MRI-guided VABB can help detect and confirm breast cancer at a very early stage, often at Stage 0, before the disease progresses.

The statement also mentioned a recent case involving a 70-year-old woman who reported bloody nipple discharge despite normal mammography and ultrasound results. An MRI-guided VABB later detected Stage 0 breast cancer, allowing timely surgical treatment.

Breast cancer accounts for nearly 27-28 per cent of all cancers among Indian women, and the burden is expected to rise sharply in the coming decades, highlighting the need for more accurate and early diagnostic methods, the statement said.

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