MRI scan ‘much more effective’ than mammogram

BREAST cancer would be detected earlier and more effectively with a MRI scan rather than the traditional mammography screening method, according to research published today.

More than 60,000 Irish women are screened for breast cancer each year using digital mammography, a form of X-ray that can detect a tumour. This process costs the Government €28 million a year in funding, through the Breast Check Programme.

A study published in today’s Lancet Medical Journal shows that MRIs — or magnetic scans which do not use X-rays — are a more precise form of screening and can detect breast cancer earlier.