Actuality: Carolyn Clancy
Narrator: If a woman has an abnormal mammogram, will she need a biopsy to determine whether she has cancer? For women with a higher-than-average risk for breast cancer, a new federal study says yes. The study by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality reviewed four non-invasive tests—MRI, ultrasound, PET scan, and scintimammogram—to see if they could substitute for a biopsy. It found that each test would miss a significant number of cancers for women at high enough risk to need further evaluation.
Dr. Clancy: "What we've learned in this report is that we cannot routinely substitute the non-invasive tests in place of biopsy. Some women at a low risk for breast cancer may want to make use of one of the noninvasive tests. But in most cases, a biopsy is still the necessary follow-up when a potential problem is found through mammography."
Narrator: The full report can be found on the Web at www.effectivehealthcare.ahrq.gov. This information was produced by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
Current as of February 2006
Internet Citation:
Audio News Release Transcript: Breast Cancer Diagnostics Effective Health Care Report. February 2006. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/news/brstcntran.htm
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