Breast cancer affects one in eight women, but regular testing can help lower your risk of dying.
One such detection method is the breast coil used in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine, which allows for very detailed examination of dense breasts or breast abnormalities. The breast coil is a piece of equipment in which the breasts are gently placed that sends and receives radio waves within the magnetic field of an MRI machine to create images.
MRI breast imaging helps identify early breast cancer, especially in high-risk patients, said Dr. Premal Sanghavi, a surgeon and member of St. Mary’s Hospital’s Medical Staff. It can also help evaluate abnormalities, determine whether cancer has spread and assess the effects of chemotherapy, among other benefits.
Breast MRI is especially valuable because it offers information and breast conditions that cannot be learned through mammography or ultrasound, such as small breast lesions, Dr. Sanghavi said. MRI can also image breast implants, which are hard to image using traditional mammography. The breast coil is very sensitive and is widely used across the country.
Assess Your Breast Cancer Risk
• Gender: female
• Age
• Genetic risk factors
• Family history
• Race and ethnicity – white women are slightly more likely to develop breast cancer than are black women, but black women are more likely to die of this cancer
• Dense breast tissue
• Certain benign breast conditions
• Menstrual periods – women who have had more menstrual cycles because they started menstruating at an early age (before age 12) and/or went through menopause at a later age (after age 55) have a slightly higher risk
• Previous chest radiation
• Diethylstilbestrol exposure
• Not having children or having children later in life
• Recent oral contraceptive use
• Using post-menopausal hormone therapy
• Not breastfeeding
• Alcohol
• Being overweight or obese
• Lack of physical activity
