FAST MRI Data Study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Inter-observer agreement of MR readers and mammogram readers reporting First Post Contrast Subtracted Images from Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Breast (FAST MRI) - a data study comparing FAST MRI with the gold standard of full Breast MRI
IRAS ID
219332
Contact name
Lyn Jones
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
North Bristol NHS Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 1 months, 31 days
Research summary
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of the breast is the most sensitive screening test for breast cancer, but because it is expensive it is only offered to women at high risk of breast cancer (>30% lifetime risk). FAST MRI is an abbreviated form of breast MRI (First post contrAst SubtracTed images) which takes less time to acquire (3 versus 20 minutes on the scanner) and to interpret (0.5 versus 20 minutes). We think it could potentially replace full MRI but need to establish that it is good enough at detecting growing cancers. This research is important because it could cut the cost of screening provision for women at high risk of breast cancer whilst maintaining the quality of the screening and improving the experience of the scan. We plan to use images from MRI breast scans that have already been acquired at our screening unit during 2015. These images will be anonymised and used to provide a display equivalent to that obtained from a FAST MRI. We will provide limited training in FAST MRI interpretation for 8 “Readers“, comprising 4 Consultant Radiologists (who can already interpret full breast MRI) and 4 other practitioners (who can already interpret screening mammograms). These 8 Readers will then be asked to interpret the anonymised images, blinded to the full MRI reports, to patient outcomes and to the interpretations of the other Readers. Our outcomes are interobserver variability and how FAST MRI compares with full MRI at cancer detection. This is a data-only study, but we must take care that identifiable data are not seen by people outside the clinical care team during data extraction from the existing bank. We will achieve this by involving a Research Nurse, who already has access to all electronic systems and to the data used, to extract and anonymise the data.
REC name
South West - Central Bristol Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/SW/0142
Date of REC Opinion
31 Aug 2017
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion