Supplemental screening in the dense breast: does molecular breast imaging have a role?

With the passage of a 2019 US federal law directing FDA to ensure that mammography facilities provide a summary to patients categorizing their breast density and explaining how it can influence mammography accuracy, providers will increasingly be called on to discuss the options for supplemental screening. Numerous studies have elucidated the extent of masking that occurs with mammography screening in dense breasts when mammography is compared with other supplemental screening modalities. Despite this evidence, there is currently no consensus among experts or imaging societies as to whether or with what supplemental screening should be performed, leaving providers to counsel patients regarding the balance of benefits and harms.