Detected, yet not Diagnosed - Breast Cancer Screening with MRI Mammography in High-Risk Women

Background: MRI has been demonstrated to be the most sensitive imaging method for detecting breast cancer in women at high risk, allowing depiction of cancers that are occult on mammography, ultrasound and clinical breast examination. This high sensitivity is tempered by imperfect specificity due to overlap in the features of benign and malignant lesions. Case: We present the case of a young BRCA2 mutation carrier whose breast cancer could have been diagnosed 2 years earlier; this is a rare case of a false-negative finding in MRI. Discussion: We discuss morphological, physiological and psychological reasons for underestimation of MRI sets, especially in young women. Conclusion: We conclude that double reading in MR screening for breast cancer in high-risk women, as conducted for mammography screening, could be considered.