Background: The American Cancer Society (ACS) recommends breast MRI in addition to annual screening mammogram for women who are high risk for breast cancer starting at age 30, regardless of breast density. This includes women with a lifetime risk of breast cancer of 20% or greater, according to breast cancer risk assessment tools. In this study, we evaluated the uptake of supplemental MRI screening in patients ages 25-75 classified as high risk (Tyrer Cuzick (TC) score greater than 20%), without a personal history of breast cancer (PHBC).

Methods: Cancer risk assessment software was used to calculate a TC score. Data was extracted from the EMR of an academic center for patients ages 25-75 years old between 07/20/2020 and 07/29/2021 with a TC score of ≥ 20%. Factors such as age, ethnicity, race, insurance type, breast density, and whether patients had access to a High-Risk Breast Cancer (HRBC) provider were analyzed and a chi-squared test was used to determine whether there were significant differences in MRI supplemental uptake based on these subsets.

Results: 1144 patients were identified as high risk, having a TC ≥ 20%. 27% (n=307) underwent supplemental MRI screening, while 73% (n=837) did not. 842 patients were classified as having dense breasts and 28% (n=237) of these patients underwent MRI. Of 635 patients with an MRI order, 36% (n=227) had access to a HRBC provider, while 64% (n=408) did not. Patients with a HRBC provider were more likely to fulfill their MRI order (88%, n=200), compared to patients without a HRBC provider (33%, n=135) (p<0.001).

Conclusions: Various factors may be influencing whether high risk patients complete supplemental screening MRI. Patients with dense breasts and those with access to HRBC were more likely to undergo supplemental MRI screening. Patients who have not completed their recommended breast MRI may be faced with various challenges, such as, not having access to a HRBC provider. Identifying barriers to screening can help increase early rates of breast cancer detection in this high risk population of women.