HTA Details
Magnetic Resonance Imaging as an Adjunct to Mammography for Breast Cancer Screening in Women at Less Than High Risk for Breast Cancer
- Publication date
-
2016-November-01
- Status
- Final
- Topic Area
- Cancer
- Recommendation
-
Ontario Health Technology Advisory Committee Recommendation:
- The Ontario Health Technology Advisory Committee recommends against publicly funding screening breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as an adjunct to screening mammography for women who are at less than high risk for breast cancer and who have no personal history of breast cancer
- Ministry Response
-
The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care has accepted this recommendation.
-
To read the full OHTAC Recommendation Report for this topic, contact our Health Innovation team using the contact form to request a digital copy.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer among Canadian women.
The most common form of screening for breast cancer is mammography (an X-ray of the breast), which can detect breast cancer early, before clinical symptoms appear. However, mammography alone may miss breast cancer in some women. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), an imaging tool that uses magnetic fields and radio waves, may be able to detect breast cancers missed by mammography.
Screening with both mammography and MRI is currently recommended for women at high risk for breast cancer.
Although adding MRI screening to mammography may detect more cancers, it may also increase the frequency of false-positive test results (test results that show a woman has breast cancer when she does not). False-positive test results can lead to anxiety and unnecessary follow-up testing.
The Ontario Health review looked at the impact of MRI as an adjunct test to mammography for breast cancer screening in women at less than high risk for breast cancer.
Last Updated: February 24, 2026
