More than 3 million American women have a history of breast cancer. The survival rate for these women is 90 percent for the first five years after diagnosis. However, there is always concern about future recurrence of breast cancer. Depending on several factors, oncologists often seek follow-up mammograms and MRI’s for high-risk patients. 

Yet, there are still some discrepancies regarding the effectiveness of ordering these scans. The Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) is now funding studies to review the evidence regarding breast cancer screenings. Since there’s little existing evidence of the benefits of MRI scanning, PCORI is seeking to understand if this process is beneficial for patients.

PCORI has backed 17 patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness studies and contributed $77 million into breast cancer research. This includes studies for women with no history of breast cancer, as well as an evaluation of patients who receive symptom management education for breast and other types of cancer. 

Other cancers were also included in the studies, and more research is being conducted to determine more efficient and cost-effective procedures for treatment.