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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2018 Jul 1.
Published in final edited form as: Med Clin North Am. 2017 Jul;101(4):725–741. doi: 10.1016/j.mcna.2017.03.005

Table 3.

Supplemental Screening Options for Women with Dense Breasts

Imaging Modality Advantages Disadvantages
Digital breast tomosynthesis
  • -

    Improved cancer detection

  • -

    Reduced false-positives

  • -

    Obtained during standard mammogram exam

  • -

    Widely available

  • -

    Being adopted as a primary screening modality
  • -

    Additional ionizing radiation when added to digital mammography

  • -

    Additional out-of-pocket costs if payers do not cover it
Screening ultrasound
  • -

    Widely available

  • -

    Improved cancer detection

  • -

    No ionizing radiation
  • -

    Highly operator-dependent

  • -

    Increased false-positives

  • -

    Increased benign biopsies

  • -

    Additional out-of-pocket costs if payers do not cover it
Magnetic resonance imaging
  • -

    Highest sensitivity for detecting additional cancers

  • -

    No ionizing radiation
  • -

    Not widely available

  • -

    Requires intravenous gadolinium injection

  • -

    Increased false-positives

  • -

    Increased benign biopsies

  • -

    Additional out-of-pocket costs if payers do not cover it
Contrast-enhanced spectral mammography
  • -

    Improved cancer detection

  • -

    Obtained during standard mammogram exam
  • -

    Not widely available

  • -

    Requires intravenous contrast injection

  • -

    Additional out-of-pocket costs if payers do not cover it

  • -

    Additional ionizing radiation when added to digital mammography
Molecular breast imaging
  • -

    Improved cancer detection

  • -

    Potentially improved specificity
  • -

    Not widely available

  • -

    Requires intravenous radioactive tracer injection

  • -

    Additional ionizing radiation