Outcomes of Multimodality Breast Screening for Women at Increased Risk of Familial Breast Cancer: Reply to Letter

Excerpt

The issues raised by Dr. Roukos in his recent correspondence are relevant and important. The development of the Familial Breast Cancer Screening Clinic, whose outcomes are reported in our recent article in the World Journal of Surgery [1], does in fact represent a step in the direction of providing a more tailored approach to breast screening based on the new knowledge that we have acquired over the last decade of gene mutation analysis and its associated risks. It is therefore appropriate to offer an alternative and specific breast screening process to women who are identifiable as being at higher risk of familial breast cancer and that recognizes such factors as earlier potential onset of the disease and increased breast density. Hence, the addition of screening by ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging as well as younger age of commencement need to be considered when establishing a program for these women. …