Painless MRI Breast Cancer Screening

The examination itself takes about 20 minutes. Including check-in, changing into an examination gown (or simply wearing a T-shirt), and payment, the whole visit takes just over an hour.
No advance rest or injections are required, and there is nothing in particular you need to prepare. Since you can be examined in your gown, there is no dress code. You are welcome to come in work attire, casual outing clothes, or sportswear.
There are no dietary restrictions, and you do not need to stop taking any medications you normally take. You can come exactly as usual. However, you must not wear any magnetic materials on your body.

The average cancer detection rate for mammography is 2.7 per 1,000 people (according to 2018 data presented by the Japanese Association of Breast Cancer Screening, based on 2.53 million examinees).

• Tomosynthesis (3D mammography) is said to detect about 1.5 times more cancers.
• Adding ultrasound examination performed by a well-trained technologist to mammography is said to detect about 1.5 times more cancers.
• The cancer detection rate for painless MRI breast cancer screening (DWIBS-Search) was 14.7 per 1,000 people. While a direct comparison is not possible, this corresponds to more than 5 times the mammography rate above.
• The positive predictive value, one of the indicators of a test’s accuracy, was also about 5 times higher.

During the period when the breasts feel swollen before menstruation, the water content of the breast tissue increases, which lowers the ability to detect cancer.
For painless MRI breast cancer screening, we recommend avoiding the first and second days of your period, with days 3–21 recommended (ideally days 5–14 from the start of your period). Even in the 4th week (just before your next period), the examination can still be performed, though not ideally. However, since this is a valuable opportunity for screening, if you want to maximize diagnostic accuracy, we recommend scheduling your visit within the period above.
If your cycle is irregular, please contact the hospital where you made your reservation by phone. Women who have gone through menopause can be examined at any time.

[Regarding breastfeeding and pregnancy]
During breastfeeding, the breast tissue becomes more abundant, which lowers the efficiency of cancer detection. This is why we ask about pregnancy and breastfeeding status in the medical questionnaire. If you choose to be examined under these conditions, please be aware that diagnostic accuracy will be lower than usual.
Please note that MRI during pregnancy requires a physician’s examination, so without a doctor’s recommendation, this screening cannot be performed. (That said, we have received earnest requests from obstetricians and gynecologists: “Some patients notice a lump in the breast after becoming pregnant and are left anxious throughout the pregnancy without any way to find a solution.” We would like to be able to respond to these kinds of concerns.)

None at all. Because this is an MRI examination, radiation exposure is zero. That means your cumulative radiation exposure※ remains at zero no matter how many times you are examined. This makes it an especially suitable test for a health screening you may repeat throughout your life.
It is particularly well suited for people with certain genetic mutations (abnormalities in what are known as the BRCA genes). People with an abnormality in the BRCA gene※※ cannot properly repair DNA damage caused by radiation exposure, which leads to a high rate of cancer development. For this reason, these individuals should avoid X-ray-based examinations (such as mammography or plain chest X-rays) as much as possible.

※ Cumulative radiation exposure (Radiation Cumulative Dose) — the total amount of radiation exposure a person has received over their lifetime.
※※ Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer syndrome (HBOC).

Cancer tissue is characterized by cells packed tightly together. Because of this, the movement of water (diffusion) within cancer tissue is reduced. Painless MRI breast cancer screening uses this reduced diffusion as a marker to detect cancer. This imaging technique is called “diffusion-weighted imaging.” Among the various approaches, this screening uses a method called DWIBS (Diffusion-Weighted whole-body Imaging with Background body signal Suppression). The resulting images are often said to closely resemble PET scans (FDG-PET), which detect cancer by using the fact that cancer cells consume a lot of glucose. However, since naturally occurring glucose cannot be visualized directly, a radioactive isotope attached to glucose is injected, and its accumulation is then imaged.
Note that this examination (DWIBS-Search) does not use any contrast agent. The gadolinium (Gd)-based contrast agents used in MRI are mostly excreted through urine, but it is known that trace amounts can accumulate in the brain and kidneys. It has also been reported that excreted Gd, a heavy metal, pollutes the environment, with its concentration continuing to rise.
This examination is also well suited for people with a genetic mutation (a BRCA gene mutation, which increases the risk of breast and ovarian cancer) who wish to be screened repeatedly. With contrast-based examinations, concerns about accumulation and cost generally limit screening to about once a year at most; but since this examination uses no contrast agent, is more affordable, and carries no risk of harm or environmental pollution, there is no problem undergoing it, for example, every six months or even three times a year. Shortening the interval between examinations is expected to make it possible to detect cancer within a shorter time after it develops.

In principle, you should be screened once every two years, ideally once a year. Those considered to be at higher risk of developing breast cancer — for example, women whose mother or sister has had breast cancer — should be screened once a year.
National screening guidelines do not recommend mammography for women under 40, in order to avoid the effects of radiation exposure as much as possible. However, because this examination has nothing to do with radiation, you can undergo it repeatedly with complete peace of mind.

Some people feel tense, sweat, or experience a racing heart when entering a narrow space. However, many people feel more at ease once we explain during the examination that “the tunnel is shorter than your height (about 120 cm).”
Our clinic has introduced Ambient Movie, so that even during the MRI examination, you are not simply in a clinical space but in a calm environment surrounded by beautiful visuals and music. This helps ease patients’ anxiety and tension, providing a more comfortable and higher-quality examination experience.
In addition, many patients feel less anxious because they lie face down for the exam. If it is truly impossible for you, the examination cannot be performed.

Yes. Because MRI uses a powerful magnet, the following individuals cannot be examined.

• People with large tattoos (some tattoo ink contains iron particles, which can cause burns)
• People wearing a hearing aid (possible if it can be removed)
• People with metal implanted in the chest (may be possible in some cases — please consult with us)
• People with an implanted cardiac pacemaker

In addition, please avoid the following on the day of your examination.

• Spray-type (instant spray) gray hair coloring products (the dispersed iron particles reduce the precision of the MRI equipment; regular hair dye is fine)
• Colored contact lenses or heavy mascara (some contain iron)

Due to the nature of the equipment, MRI makes loud noises during scanning. Once you get used to it, it is not much of an issue, but some first-time patients find it uncomfortable. We have uploaded a sample of the sound to YouTube, so if you are concerned, please listen to it in advance.

You may be unable to undergo an MRI examination if you have certain medical devices inside or outside your body, or if you are not feeling well. In addition, it is considered advisable for pregnant women (up to 14 weeks of pregnancy) to avoid the examination.
Please see below for examples of medical devices and items that must be removed before an MRI examination. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.

Please let us know in advance if you have any of the following medical devices, or any other medical device not listed here

• Cardiac pacemaker, defibrillator, etc.
• Cerebral aneurysm clip or coil
• Deep brain stimulator, spinal cord stimulator
• Shunt for hydrocephalus treatment
• Cochlear implant
• Artificial eye
• Lacrimal duct obstruction device, intraocular pressure treatment device
• Endoscopic clips
• Stents
• Artificial heart valve
• Orthopedic devices (spinal fixation devices, artificial joints, plates, bolts)
• Tissue expander for breast reconstruction
• Intrauterine device (IUD)
• Gold thread used in cosmetic procedures
• Tubes with magnetic caps
• Implanted automatic infusion pump

Please remove the following belongings before the examination

• Hearing aid
• Dentures
• Contact lenses
• Disposable body warmers
• Medicated patches/plasters
• Glasses
• Acupuncture needles
• Wigs
• Nail art
• Accessories
• Hairpins
• Watch
• Electronic devices / magnetic cards
• Keys
• Metal zippers
• Underwire/metal hooks on undergarments
• Wallet