MBI Plus 3D Mammography More Than Doubles Cancer Detection in Dense Breasts, Trial Finds

Researchers say callback rates dropped by half on the second annual screen, pointing to fewer unnecessary follow-ups over time.

Overview

The Density MATTERS trial enrolled 2,978 women aged 40 to 75 with dense breasts across five centers and followed two annual screening rounds.
Combining molecular breast imaging with digital breast tomosynthesis detected more cancers than either test alone.
The addition of MBI led to 279 extra callbacks in year one, then the callback rate fell by about half in the second round.
Access remains limited, with MBI plus mammography offered at roughly 30 U.S. sites, including several Mayo Clinic locations.
The study team is developing an algorithm to cut MBI image acquisition from about 40 minutes to roughly 20 minutes to improve comfort and throughput.