In this Thursday morning session, Dr. Reena Vashi and colleagues will present data from a study they conducted to compare the two technologies. The study included 95 consecutive 3-tesla MR examinations and 86 consecutive 1.5-tesla MR examinations performed between July 2009 and April 2010 in patients with newly diagnosed breast cancer.
In the 3-tesla MRI group, 115 suspicious lesions were identified in 60% of patients; 87% of these lesions were biopsied. In the 1.5-tesla group, 67 suspicious lesions were identified in 47% of patients and 92% of these lesions were biopsied. As for biopsy results, 3-tesla MRI yielded 24% additional malignancies compared with 1.5-tesla's 18%, 55% versus 55% for benign lesions, and 21% versus 27% for high-risk lesions. Three-tesla breast MRI found additional cancers in 28% of the patients who underwent biopsy, while 1.5-tesla found additional cancers in 26%.
In patients newly diagnosed with breast cancer, 3-tesla breast MRI detected more suspicious lesions, but overall performance between the two magnet strengths was similar for detecting additional cancers proved by pathology, Vashi and colleagues concluded.
