How is MRI used after breast cancer is diagnosed?

Over the last ten years, MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, has increasingly been used for evaluation of breast tissue once a woman has a biopsy-proven breast cancer and can help evaluate the extent of disease in that breast as well as check the other breast for disease. It can help answer questions such as, “Are there other areas of abnormal tissue near the biopsy-proven cancer? Are there areas of abnormal tissue in other quadrants of the breast? Is there a cancer in the other breast?"

Nevertheless, even MRI has its limitations. There is a high false positive rate, which can lead to unnecessary biopsies and patient anxiety, and multiple follow-up exams.