The DENSE trial continues to give us insights into personalized breast cancer screening based on breast density. The paper titled “Re-attendance in supplemental breast MRI screening rounds of the DENSE trial for women with extremely dense breasts” authored by Stefanie G. A. Veenhuizen et al. examines the re-attendance rates for supplemental breast MRI screenings in women with extremely dense breasts.
Key findings
Re-attendance rates for supplemental MRI screening rounds were high at 81.3% for the second and 85.2% for the third. These high re-attendance rates show a desire from patients to adhere to personalized screening when they are informed that they have dense breast tissue and understand their risk. This can be used to predict MRI volumes.
Understanding non-compliant patients
The study also explored factors associated with lower re-attendance included older age, very low BMI, lower education, unemployment, smoking, and no alcohol consumption. Additionally, moderate to high levels of pain, discomfort, or anxiety during the previous MRI screening were linked to lower re-attendance rates. These findings suggest that improving the MRI experience could potentially increase re-attendance rates if supplemental MRI screening is part of a clinics’ personalized care plan.
The takeaway – improve experience, better attendance
Applying these findings to breast imaging practices could lead to more personalized and patient-centric screening strategies, ultimately enhancing early detection and treatment of breast cancer. The high re-attendance rates observed in the study suggest that if women have a positive experience with minimal discomfort and anxiety, they are more likely to return for subsequent screenings. This insight could be leveraged in the US to improve MRI screening protocols and environments, potentially increasing participation rates. Moreover, the study’s identification of factors associated with lower re-attendance rates can inform targeted outreach and education efforts to ensure that women who are less likely to return for screenings are given additional support and information.
