Transcript

Breast Cancer Diagnostics Effective Health Care Report

Actuality: Carolyn Clancy

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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

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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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