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Bethesda North Hospital Institutes Area's First Breast MRI Registry
March 1, 2008
Women with a strong family history of breast cancer sometimes require more sophisticated breast imaging than a standard mammogram. One of those tools used at the Bethesda North’s Center for Breast Care is a breast MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging. Breast MRI creates a more detailed picture of the breast and is used for every newly diagnosed breast cancer patient at the center.
Thanks to a grant from the Bethesda Foundation, the Bethesda North’s Center for Breast Care is implementing the first breast MRI registry in Greater Cincinnati. The registry is a database that will help Breast Center staff study the effectiveness of breast MRI in women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer and in those who have a genetic disposition for developing the disease.
Nationally, cancer and rare disease patient registries contain demographic and medical information that help researchers study the effectiveness of various treatments. These registries also help researchers evaluate the effectiveness of disease prevention and control.
Susan Weinberg MD, Center for Breast Care medical director, estimates that the center will recruit and enroll 250 to 300 patients in the first year of the project. “We have the area’s busiest breast MRI service,” she notes. “This will allow us to generate an adequate sample size to create a useful registry that, over time, can help us further develop our expertise in diagnosing breast cancer and in resolving indeterminate mammographic or sonographic findings.”
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