Breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) rose between the mid- to late-2000s, according to two new studies published by JAMA Internal Medicine.
In the study led by Karen J. Wernli of the Group Health Research Institute, researchers looked at the patterns of breast MRI in US community practice between 2005-2009 using data from five national Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium registries.
The findings showed that the overall rate of breast MRI almost tripled from 4.2 per 1,000 women in 2005, to 11.5 per 1,000 in 2009. At 40 percent, the most common use for the procedure was for diagnostic evaluation, followed by screening at 32 percent. The majority of those in the latter group were younger than 50 years old, had a personal or family history of breast cancer, and extremely dense breast tissue.
Those women with a high lifetime risk for breast cancer who were screened with breast MRIs rose from 9 percent to 29 percent during this same time period, with the most common use of breast MRO for diagnostic evaluation of a non-MRI finding.
"Our findings suggest that there have been improvements in appropriate use of breast MRI, with a smaller proportion of examinations performed for further evaluation of abnormal mammogram results and symptomatic patients, and more breast MRI performed for screening of women at high risk," the authors wrote in a statement.
The second study found that the use of breast MRI stabilized by 2011, following a dramatic rise.
Led by researchers from Harvard Medical School and the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, the report found an increase 6.5 examinations pers 10,000 women in 2000, to 130.7 per 10,000 women in 2009. Two years later, this had declined and then stabilized at around 104.8 exams per 10,000.
According to the researchers, in a subset of women with electronic medical records who received screening or surveillance MRIs, only 21 percent appeared to meet the American Cancer Society for breast MRI.
"Understanding who is receiving breast MRI and the downstream consequences of this use should be a high research priority to ensure that the limited health care funds available are used to wisely maximize population health," the authors concluded.