Preoperative MRI fails to reduce risk of incomplete tumour excision in small breast cancers

Adding magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to the preoperative assessment of women with small breast cancers fails to reduce the rate of reoperation for incompletely excised tumours, a major UK technology assessment has shown.

The number of women requiring a repeat operation or mastectomy after initial lumpectomy rose from 14.2% in 2001-2 to 17% 2006-7, posing a considerable burden to the women affected and to the NHS. This rate of reoperation is well above the NHS Breast Cancer Screening Programmes’ quality assurance target rate of 10%.

Currently, women …