Skip to main content

Resource: Dr. Plecha discusses how ShearWave Elastography Helps Reduce False Positives

Dr. Donna Plecha Donna Plecha, MD, Director of Breast Imaging, University Hospitals, Cleveland OH

The benefit of using ultrasound as an adjunct screening for women with dense breasts has been studied for decades. There is no dispute that adjunct ultrasound in combination with mammogram significantly increase detection of small, node negative invasive cancers. One of the challenges of ultrasound is the increase in false positives. Dr. Donna Plecha writes how ShearWave Elastography increases the ability of the radiologist to distinguish lesions more confidently.

You may read the entire publication here.

Back to Resources

Are You Dense? Fact #1: Breast density is one of the strongest predictors of the failure of mammography screening to detect cancer.

Are You Dense? Fact #2: Two-thirds of pre-menopausal women and 40% of post-menopausal women have dense breast tissue.

Are You Dense? Fact #3: Adding more sensitive tests to mammography significantly increase detection of invasive cancers that are small and node negative.

Are You Dense? Fact #4: American College of Radiology describes women with "Dense Breast Tissue" as having a higher than average risk of Breast Cancer.

Are You Dense? Fact #5: While a mammogram detects 98% of cancers in women with fatty breasts, it finds only 48% in women with dense breasts.

Are You Dense? Fact #6: A woman at average risk and a woman at high risk have an EQUAL chance of having their cancer masked by mammogram.

Are You Dense? Fact #7: Women with dense breasts who had breast cancer have a four times higher risk of recurrence than women with less-dense breasts.

Are You Dense? Fact #8: A substantial proportion of Breast Cancer can be attributed to high breast density alone.

Are You Dense? Fact #9: Cancer turns up five times more often in women with extremely dense breasts than those with the most fatty tissue.

Are You Dense? Fact #10: There are too many women who are unaware of their breast density, believe their “Happy Gram” when it reports no significant findings and are at risk of receiving a later stage cancer diagnosis.