Breast Cancer Monitoring May Become More Accessible With Contrast-Enhanced Mammography

A new systematic review and meta-analysis has found that contrast-enhanced mammography (CEM) demonstrates strong diagnostic accuracy in assessing breast cancer response after neoadjuvant therapy. The analysis, which included 15 studies involving 793 patients, reported a sensitivity of 74% and a specificity of 82% in detecting pathological complete response. Researchers noted that the imaging technique delivered performance comparable to MRI, which is currently considered the standard method for evaluating treatment response in breast cancer patients.

Experts say contrast-enhanced mammography could become a valuable alternative when MRI is unavailable, expensive, contraindicated, or poorly tolerated by patients. The technique combines conventional mammographic imaging with contrast-enhanced functional assessment, allowing doctors to evaluate tumor response in a single examination. While the study highlights its clinical potential, researchers caution that CEM should complement rather than replace histopathological evaluation, as pathology remains essential for confirming complete treatment response and detecting residual disease.