Doctors should consider ultrasonography as an adjunct to mammography for an “optimal solution” in screening asymptomatic women between 40 and 49 years of age for breast cancer, regardless of breast density, concluded a team from Tohoku University in Sendai, Japan led by Dr. Narumi Harada-Shoji, Ph.D.

In a secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial, Dr. Harada-Shoji’s team sought to answer the questions of whether adjunctive ultrasonography to mammography changed according to breast tissue density. They found that “screening mammography alone demonstrated low sensitivity, whereas adjunctive ultrasonography improved sensitivity both in dense and nondense breasts.”

The team found that “adjunctive ultrasonography had good screening balance with mammography regardless of breast density, detecting early-stage and invasive malignant lesions for asymptomatic women with average risk of breast cancer. Thus, adjunctive ultrasonography should be considered as an optimal solution in young women with average risk.”

Sources:

Harada-Shoji N, Suzuki A, Ishida T, et al. Evaluation of Adjunctive Ultrasonography for Breast Cancer Detection Among Women Aged 40-49 Years With Varying Breast Density Undergoing Screening Mammography: A Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2021;4(8):e2121505. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.21505 Accessed 08/30/2021 at https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2783177

Allegretto, Amerigo. “Adjunctive breast ultrasound useful for women at average cancer risk.” Published August 20, 2021, at AuntMinnie.com. Accessed August 30, 2021, at https://www.auntminnie.com/index.aspx?sec=sup&sub=ult&pag=dis&ItemID=133263