RSNA Wrap Up
The most often heard comment from RSNA attendees in Chicago this week was that though attendance was not quite what it was pre-Covid, the energy and crowds were “back.” Some density-related highlights:
- DBI European Education Supporter and Past President of the ESR Prof. Michael Fuchsjäger received an Honorary Member Award as an Outstanding Educator in recognition of his significant achievements in radiology.
- In a scientific session on Monday, Dr. Nicholas Payne of the University of Cambridge detailed research that mammography detects only 51.7% of cancers in extremely dense breasts, and only 50.6% of cancers in heterogeneously dense breasts in women under 60 – indicating the need for supplemental screening in younger women with heterogeneously dense breasts as well as those with extremely dense breasts.
- A refresher course, Factors Influencing Breast Risk, Screening MRI, Screening US (S4-CBR10), given by Medical Advisory Board Members Drs. Berg, Harvey and Kuhl, emphasized the masking effect of cancers in dense breasts and the benefits of contrast-enhanced screening, especially in MRI, to find more biologically important cancers even in scattered density breasts.
- A HealthImaging.com article, Many providers remain underinformed about increased cancer risks associated with breast density, highlights two DBI research projects published/in press in the JBI that were discussed in a talk by Executive Director JoAnn Pushkin. The research found that educational intervention can help.