MRI's role in assessing and managing breast disease

As medical imaging techniques become more sensitive and treatment regimes become focused on "cure" for Stage I and Stage II breast cancers, it is essential that screening and diagnostic techniques become more specific. Mammography is the primary imaging modality used to detect early, clinically occult breast cancer. However, limitations in the sensitivity and specificity of mammograms have stimulated exploration into alternative or adjunctive imaging methods. This article discusses magnetic resonance imaging as a technology for assessing and managing breast disease.