There’s not a lot of difference between automated and clinical assessments of dense breasts when it comes to estimating a given woman’s risk of getting breast cancer. However, breast density classification may vary substantially between the assessment methods—a finding that could impact decisionmaking around supplemental imaging.

A study on the high cost of patient movement during MRI scans released last spring has drawn a thought-provoking letter to the editor of the journal that published the study report. 

The anti-inflammatory, anti-platelet salicylate medication known to chemists as acetylsalicylic acid—yes, that’s aspirin—doesn’t fight breast cancer but may make dense breast tissue less dense, aiding early detection in  women with that characteristic.

Women who heave a sigh of relief upon learning their breast-cancer diagnosis at screening is a false positive shouldn’t let their guard down. A study in the December edition of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention shows that these patients are at increased risk of developing the disease for at least a decade.

When preparing comparison studies, reporting “no change”—not “no interval change,” not “stable,” not some other variation on the theme—is the best, clearest and most consistent way for radiologists to communicate an absence of change to referring physicians and, increasingly, patients.

Architectural distortion, the non-mass but potentially ominous clinical feature observed in many breast imaging procedures, is less likely to signal malignancy when it’s detected on screening mammography rather than diagnostic mammography or when it does not correlate with a subsequent targeted ultrasound exam.

Two pediatric radiologists have penned a brief but thoughtful answer to a common but tricky question—one that can be especially vexing within their subspecialty: Should we do a CT scan or MRI?

International medical imaging IT company Sectra (STO: SECT B) announces that Kentucky Breast Care has entered into a multi-year agreement to provide Breast Imaging PACS for their women’s healthcare practice.