Breast cancer remains one of the most common cancers among women worldwide, making early detection crucial for improving outcomes. In recent years, there has been growing interest in combining various screening technologies to improve detection rates. One such combination, mammography and ultrasound, has shown promising results in detecting breast cancer more effectively than mammography alone, particularly in certain groups of women.
A study published on August 18, 2021, in JAMA Network Open, highlighted the benefits of using both mammography and breast ultrasound for screening. The research analyzed data from a large-scale trial conducted in Japan between July 2007 and March 2011. The trial involved 19,213 women aged 40 to 49, all of whom were asymptomatic and had no signs of breast cancer at the time of screening.
The women in the trial were randomly assigned to one of two groups: one group was screened using mammography alone, while the other group received a combined screening of both mammography and ultrasound. The goal of the study was to assess whether adding ultrasound to mammography could improve the detection of breast cancer, especially in women with dense breast tissue, which can complicate the interpretation of mammograms.
The results of the study were compelling. The combined screening group demonstrated a significantly higher cancer detection rate compared to the group that only underwent mammography. This was particularly notable in detecting early-stage and invasive breast cancers, which are critical for improving survival rates.
One of the most significant findings of the study was the added benefit of ultrasound for women with dense breast tissue. Dense breast tissue can obscure the visibility of tumors on mammograms, making it harder for radiologists to detect cancer in its early stages. Ultrasound, on the other hand, provides an additional layer of imaging that can detect abnormalities not visible on a mammogram.
In the study, the combination of mammography and ultrasound was especially effective in these women, who are often at a higher risk of breast cancer due to the density of their breast tissue. Ultrasound’s ability to identify cancers in dense tissue makes it an invaluable tool in ensuring that potential cancers do not go undetected.
While the combination of mammography and ultrasound showed higher detection rates, it also led to more women being called back for additional imaging or biopsies. This is an important consideration, as more false positives can result in additional procedures, which may cause unnecessary anxiety for patients and lead to more healthcare costs.
However, the researchers noted that the benefits of detecting more cancers particularly early-stage and invasive cancers outweighed the downside of additional callbacks. Early detection remains the cornerstone of breast cancer survival, and the combination of technologies appears to offer a better chance of identifying tumors that could otherwise be missed.
The study’s findings suggest that combining mammography and ultrasound offers a more robust method for detecting breast cancer, especially in women with dense breast tissue. Although the increased number of callbacks for further testing is a concern, the potential to detect cancer earlier and more accurately is a critical advantage. For younger women, particularly those with dense breasts, this dual approach could significantly improve outcomes by detecting cancer at an earlier, more treatable stage.
As we continue to improve cancer detection technologies, the integration of ultrasound with traditional mammography represents a promising advancement in the fight against breast cancer.
