Overview

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the breast — or breast MRI — is a test used to detect breast cancer and other abnormalities in the breast.

A breast MRI captures multiple images of your breast. Breast MRI images are combined, using a computer, to create detailed pictures.

Breast MRI also may be used with mammography as a screening tool for detecting breast cancer in some people. This includes women with a high risk of breast cancer, who have a strong family history of breast cancer or who have hereditary breast cancer gene changes.

Why it's done

A breast MRI is used to assess the extent of breast cancer. It's also used to screen for breast cancer in women thought to have a high risk of the disease.

Your health care provider may recommend a breast MRI if:

• You've been diagnosed with breast cancer and your provider wants to determine the extent of the cancer
• You have a suspected leak or rupture of a breast implant
• You're at high risk of breast cancer, defined as a lifetime risk of 20% or greater, as calculated by risk tools that account for your family history and other risk factors
• You have a strong family history of breast cancer or ovarian cancer
• You have very dense breast tissue, and mammograms didn't detect a prior breast cancer
• You have a history of precancerous breast changes — such as atypical hyperplasia or lobular carcinoma in situ — and a strong family history of breast cancer and dense breast tissue
• You have a hereditary breast cancer gene change, such as BRCA1 or BRCA2
• You had radiation treatments to your chest area before age 30

If you're unsure whether you may be at high risk, ask your provider to help you determine your personal risk estimate. A referral to a breast clinic or breast-health specialist may help you better understand your risk and your screening options.

A breast MRI is intended to be used along with a mammogram or other breast-imaging test — not as a replacement for a mammogram. Although it's a sensitive test, a breast MRI can still miss some breast cancers that a mammogram will detect.